The Darkened Sanctum
by Corky Riviera
Summary: A world carved into the breast of the earth holds little promise, but a certain glow from a team's spirits may just be enough to illuminate the world. (A Dragon Quarter Fanfiction)
1. Default Chapter

The Darkened Sanctum

_A Dragon Quarter Fanfiction – The Author's First Notes_

**I have not finished this game.**

Therefore many things from the original storyline will be **incorrect.**

This story is not meant to be perfect, every detail saved. This story is about my interpretation of the original storyline, with many things changed or added. Therefore this story may not be to a purist's taste, but I hope that it will appeal to some. The ending will most likely be **completely different** from the in-game one since I have never gotten that far.

However I have done a lot of research on the storyline from other, short fanfictions, others comments, translations from the art book, and other personal opinions and interpretations. This is a pooled piece of work, and my thanks goes out to those unlisted for the help and information.

The beginning of my story is slightly extended, as to tell the base story to those who do not know it. The places in my story may also have changed from the originals slightly. I hope the reader never considers this a fault as he/she follows along through the pages.

There are a few additions character-wise, but they have been painstakingly designed to blend in with the storyline. Apologies to those who feel they should not have been added, but it's a tradition of mine along fanfiction writing.

I do not own Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, any of its characters, its storyline, nor am I affiliated with Capcom or any other company that distributes this game.

For once, this story has no dedication to someone personal…

But to anyone out there who has a dream.


	2. One Tale Lead to Another

The Darkened Sanctum

"_One Tale Lead to Another…"_

_I remember when the world was beautiful…_

"All things lived under a vast canopy that was dotted with points of lights and colors that changed to nature's whim. There were bright colors, living green, robust red, bright yellow… but most of all the inviting sky blue. This shade was a constant, overlooked by those under its reign, and they had no idea what would happen were they to loose it…

Humans were the oddest of creatures living in this world, more powerful than most beasts, developing colonies that could reach the heavens. The things they gathered or made were never enough and they strove to have more. They began trying the task that was only to be held in the hands of the gods… separated sides began toying with life itself and began creating creatures that followed the human's will.

I was this way, too.

They created the rest of my kind and soon they broke into war, as if proving to their own race they could destroy anything. Our powers clashed, scorching the earth into a barren wasteland. Humans killed other humans, their own species blood splashed across their hands and blades. I did not find this was in error, for I simply fought for the humans who brought me into being. In the height of this war, at a large colony of these creatures, I was unleashed to bring ruin to those living there… my eyes flooded with rage were blind, as my fangs tore through human flesh and their buildings with nothing held back. Their weapons would sing in the air as they rose to slay me, but my power would cut them asunder and leave nothing but their shadows burnt onto the ground. It was that image that brought me back from that blind rage, the silhouettes of those once standing left there for eternity. My own destructive power led me to my right mind, and as my creators called for me to fight… I fled.

With wings to the air I fled a great distance into a field uninhabited by war. Landing among the torched green, I could see across the horizons my brothers and sisters among the humans, destroying everything in their path. The sky had waned and turned a dull green, and the air was becoming thick with death…

I became afraid.

So with my powers, the last time I ever decided to use them, I blasted a tunnel into the earth and fled into its dark bosom. Afraid of the humans controlling us, afraid of them destroying the beautiful world, I continued to dig as deeply as I could, taking refuge in a cavern deep within the soil.

I waited.

The humans above watched, while fighting, the world starting to waste away as a great poison seemed to flood the sky blue. The last remaining sides finally came to senses and called off their fighting, but only after my brothers and sisters had fallen on the battlefield. They soon saw what I feared as the fields and forests roasted themselves to crisps. To my dismay, they found the deep, open tunnel I had left behind and fled down, sealing the outside world, destroying all of what they had come to know.

They had destroyed their own haven but now had found a new one- afraid, like me, they went as deep as they could down my pathway, finally coming across my caverns. Afraid of us now, forgetting that we had only did what we did from their own meddling, the humans rose to attack me- using more of my powers I fled even deeper, but they continued like a wave. They attacked as a group, gnashing at my flesh with their weapons. They drove me back up, intending to lead me past the seal, but I backed into a cavern.

I had met my match, it seems, in the hands of my creators.

I dreamt that they had created four more for their needs, the last, they swore, only needed to create the underground landscapes. Starting from the bottom of the hole I had uncovered, rather than from the top, they carved out their futures in the body of the planet, inching closer, but never reaching the surface. This new dream lacks the colors my eyes had once seen, and those mimicking my brothers are foreign to me. Myself, forgotten, starves away in this chill, the chains resting heavily across my torn wings and neck. I sleep endlessly, now dreaming of a vision that allows me to hope for renewal of the Sky.

The vision I see lies within the humans, but perhaps not of their will, but the tides somewhat turned. Could those mocking my brothers have found a way to control those who controlled them, free wills given to them through creation… or death? Through meddling of one, another was to link with an unsuspecting, lowly human…

…The one, perhaps, who will make the world beautiful again."


	3. A World of Dust

The Darkened Sanctum

_I: "A World of Dust…"_

The dust seemed to be the beginning of all life in the depths and the end of all life within. Life sprung from this dust for a thousand years, the cries of newly arrived souls inhaling their first gasps of the substance that would follow them forever. Souls lived surrounded by dust, forever stirred by the motions and movements of these beings, never truly settling, but momentarily resting. It filled their lungs and stole their air as they grew old, slowly turning them into nothing but more dust. In the end, they died in dust, surrounded by dust, turning into more dust, the air thick with the dust they left behind and with the new dust they would create. The dust was a constant, just as was life, thick through the air that challenged their will- life without dust just wasn't a life, for no inch of the Shelter was free of dust. Some places had more, some places had less, but all remained coated, silent, threatening reminders that life was an unending fight.

This world, carved out of the dust, was a darkened sanctum; devoid of light, endless, snaking tunnels led deeper into the dank bowels of the earth. No gardens, no plants; unable to live in the dark, they had been replaced by plastics and fabrics, only a few blessed eyes able to see true green. No wind, no rain; occasional 'showers' came from the ceilings, brought through iron tubes that hugged the walls like rocky vines. Very little colors; only the natural dust and rust, dirt and grime, barely lit by the flickering fixtures, poor excuses for illumination. Somehow through all of this, the spark of life continued to flicker, people inhabiting this burrow for those thousand years with more luck than anything.

But this life seemed to turn itself into another meaningless speck; the leaders of this world had placed a number over every head that walked the dark paths. Numbers tore families apart: a child with a number different from birth parents would be re-organized to another section of the Shelter, sometimes shuffled into a new family, sometimes not. Numbers held back brilliant minds; those in the lowest sectors of the Shelter, despite how bright or special, had no hope of seeing the levels above. These numbers cushioned the blessed, while forcing those without such luck into a bland existence. Personal names were only given to distinguish a person from another, but weren't important to the scheme of life. Those without one had sinned; those who disliked them were ignored. Everything had a number.

It was within this dark, dirty world that yet another number was brought forth, taken from a family and put 'into order' in the LowSector. This child, though labeled as an average 1/8192, seemed to have a gift. As he grew, he had a spirit that seemed to light up every room; greeting even those less-than-liked with a smile, he was an easygoing spirit. He was kind and would help anybody, regardless of a number or appearance, very well liked by those who got to know him. Though he didn't have a family to help him through, he developed such a close-knit group of friends that it didn't seem to ever sway him- he even had a best friend with a number of 1/64! Perhaps this was just life being kind for once to someone just average, nothing too special but luck. Whatever it was, there were few that knew that 1/8192 by his number, but by his short and simple name: Ryu.

These days were the usual ones for him; he was keeping himself busy with his job. He was a third-rank Ranger in charge of patrolling and defending the lower districts, which allowed him to wander a bit, something he seemed to enjoy greatly. In fact, it was very recently that his personality seemed to change a bit. He became quieter, more internal... though he would no longer seek anybody out to speak with them for fun, he would always respond to others calls. Ryu seemed to become more and more distant as time went on, but his fiery soul remained totally intact...

It was just another average day for the sixteen year old; besides the special orders to be received at HQ, nothing too out of the ordinary was happening. Readying himself in the locker room, Ryu was busily gathering his dark hair into a ponytail before a mirror.

The door slid open, a tall, thin figure stepping in. He had his long, skinny saber rested casually over his shoulder, only a few inches away from touching his golden-blonde hair. He had a bit of an arrogant smirk splashed across his face, staring across the room at Ryu.

"Can't you go any faster?"

"Hm?" Ryu glanced over, in the process of digging out a shirt. Through the mirror one could see the back of his neck reflected, a slightly raised, light blue barcode that was rather visible. However, this was nothing much to note since nearly everybody in this area had one. "Oh, Bosch. Sorry."

"What is it she always says, oh," He suddenly grew an airy, mocking tone, "'The early bird gets the worm, boys, and you keep on winding up playing the role of the worm, blah blah blah.'"

Suppressing a bit of a laugh, Ryu responded, "She's only looking out for us."

"Ah, see, even you are laughing! Seriously, hurry up; you don't want to face the terror of the 'Violet Killer Zeno!' Raaargh!" Bosch shrugged jokingly, his smirk still worn, "Worse than a two-thousand pounder genic, eh?"

"Cut it out," Having thrown on his shirt, Ryu was now pulling his jacket, still forced to suppress a laugh or two, "What happens if she's got this place wired?"

"Oh shit," Bosch laughed, "We're both screwed!"

Both wound up laughing a bit as Bosch waltzed out, Ryu finishing up on getting himself ready. After his companion had left he had to admit he was a _little _upset at Bosch for mocking Zeno, who was their superior, but also an important figure in Ryu's life. Ever since he could remember, she was always there like an older sister, and had taught him pretty much everything he knew. He admired her for being such a strong, head fast woman who was good at everything she did, and secretly aspired to be able to do the same things she did for him to for another person he'd one day meet. Closing the locker, and replacing the lock with a 'click', he stretched a bit as he headed out of the room and into the hallway.

"Hey." A young woman standing off to the side waved casually as Ryu walked past.

"Hey..." He waved back, heading down the hall to a door. There were windows in this hall allowing view outside, a dark, old town barely lit by electric lights fixed on each building and the cavern roof. He only glanced that way for a minute, reaching the door, which opened by itself, stepping in to the main offices. Weaving around desks (and waving hello to several people who greeted him first) Ryu stepped to the back of the room before a door, Bosch standing before that.

"Finally, did you make sure your mascara was thick enough before coming?"

"Hey," Ryu laughed a bit, "I'm not that slow."

"Alright, fine. You ready?"

"'Course."

"Alrighty, in we go!" He opened the door and walked in first, both of the young men falling into position before a desk, saluting. Bosch spoke loudly, announcing, "Bosch 1/64 and Ryu 1/8192 reporting for duty, ma'am!"

"At ease, boys." The woman sitting behind the desk suddenly rose up, adjusting her narrow glasses slightly. This was Zeno, captain of the Rangers that patrolled the area, a noble woman with a brilliant mind and personality. She was easily distinguished by her unusual green, brown, and gold jumpsuit, not to mention her height. She was a hybrid of Demi-human and human genes; her ears were tipped with a fine, gray fur, slightly longer than a normal humans, but they were graceful in appearance. Her blue eyes let a strong soul shine through, a rare sight in this underground world. "Let's simply get down to your mission: you are to guard a cargo freight that will be leaving BioCorp's lower station. Take a lift down to the station and proceed from there. Any questions?"

"Yes, why are we protecting it?" Ryu spoke before Bosch even had time to think of the same question.

"The cargo in itself is top secret, and members of the organization Trinity may have their eyes on it. You are to guard it from attacks or raiding until it reaches its destination. Before you ask," She wore an expression that faintly suggested she knew they were about to, "The cargo does not need to be identified in order to complete your mission, so clear that thought from your minds. Anything else?"

"No, we understand." Bosch glanced at Ryu, and then looked at Zeno, "But ma'am, could I have a minute to speak with you in private?"

"Of course. Ryu, would you step out...?"

"Yes ma'am." He saluted, then turned and left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

"Now captain," Bosch suddenly dropped all formality, casually leaning against her desk, "This just won't do, assigning me to guard duty. I, with a number of 1/64, could be great... even a regent! All I need are a few outstanding things on my resume... guard duty is nice if you want to be nothing more than some average Ranger, but..."

"Listen, I gave you your orders and you are to complete them. There are some things a person must do before they can go for higher goals. If you can't follow the directions given to you now, you'll never follow them later. You understand why I make you do these things, right?" She had moved to the side of her desk, back to Bosch, staring out the blind-covered windows, "There is a time and place for everything, and right now you have a job to do."

"I understand completely," Bosch suddenly slid next to Zeno and plopped a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly. Smirking his little face off at her, he laughed, "Just as long as you understand my position."

"Hmph," She suddenly moved away, keeping herself gathered together, "You are dismissed. Do not fail me."

"I won't," He headed for the door, still grinning away, "No worries there."

The sudden crash of a metal cart being overturned echoed through the small room as the young girl was frantically clawing at a lock across a door. Ginger-colored hair draped heavily across her face as she panted deeply, occasionally, with an expression of panic, looking over her shoulder. Hearing the feet coming closer, she swallowed hard and really concentrated on what she was doing- fumbling a bent hairpin in her trembling hands, she worked with extreme speed, trying to pick the lock.

"She's in here, this way!"

"No!" She yelped, working faster at trying to get the lock undone. Eyes growing huge as they came into the room, she suddenly abandoned the task and dove for a vent cover. Forcing her thumbnail into a screw, she tried to twist it out as her pursuers came bounding in, heading straight for her. With a shriek, she was caught by strong arms, now struggling and fighting to get loose as a man in a white coat hurried over.

"Cheryl, you must behave for us or we'll be forced to punish you again!"

"LET ME GO!" She screamed, being restrained by the guard's arms, now being held by another man as well, "LET ME GO!"

"You're just overreacting again," The scientist inserted a needle's syringe into a small bottle, drawing a measured amount of the clear liquid within. He then moved toward the flailing girl, "Time for a little rest, huh?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She was suddenly forced down onto a table, completely restrained, wincing as the needle was slid into her shoulder. When it was removed, she resumed kicking, but started to slow down as her vision began to melt into a blurry mess of color. "Let... me..."

"You'll feel better after a nap. Bring her to containment, and make sure she doesn't get out this time!"

"...go..." her eyes snapped shut, all falling into black. This was the third attempt the poor young Cheryl had made at escaping the metal labyrinth she was trapped in, again ending with her back in the arms of her captors. As she was carried off, she rested limply, arms dangling as she was thrown over a shoulder. Perhaps in her drug-induced sleep she would come up with another plan, one that would finally work...

Heavy shoes hit against cement floors, the sound of dripping echoing down the grungy, metal walls. A brown tail swished silently behind her as she continued down the hall, orange hair swaying slightly across her forehead. Her attention was commanded when a ring from a little bell echoed across the hall- looking down, she watched a round, orange mammal skip away, bell-collar ringing gaily, wagging its fluffy tail behind it. Watching it for a moment, the woman then headed through a broken-in gate and stepped into a small room, saluting at the figure behind the desk silently, letting her arm fall shortly after.

"There is a lift leaving from the lower dock near Biocorp labs…" The man in the chair rose, facing away from the woman, "They are carrying top-secret cargo that is proof of the government's dark deeds."

"A retrieval mission?"

"Yes… But I will forewarn you… this cargo… It will look like a child to your eyes."

The woman seemed to be taken back, eyes widening slightly, but she never said a word.

"There is no excuse for failure on this mission. No doubt this freight will be guarded, but it's nothing you couldn't handle. Take one of the Gigantis and use it to your liking, just bring yourself and the cargo back in one piece. Understood?"

"Understood, sir."

"You are dismissed, Lin."

She nodded, turning away and heading out of the room. The man let out a soft sigh as he turned his head and saw her walk past outside the window, murmuring to himself.

"Air purification… a madman's dream…"

"Let me drop by town before we leave."

"What, forgot the eyeshadow?"

"Bosch…" Ryu rolled his eyes, splitting from his partner, leaving HQ and heading down a metal staircase. He paused and slowly looked around- the area was dark, a huge shaft in the corner leading up and down into endless darkness. People walked past, kicking up dust as they did, occasionally stopping to talk to one another. Shaking his head, Ryu continued down and across the open area and through another door. Inside this cavern was the Borough, where he and many others lived. The high ceiling was painted a dull, light blue, with cracked white painted in soft swirls. The colors were worn and the pattern cracking, a once-bright representation of the thing called the 'Sky'. Every time he came in, Ryu had to pause and stare up at the unchanging surface, wondering about all those stories he had heard… was there such a thing? Was it nothing but a sweet faerie tale? After gazing, he continued on down the stairs and walked into the center of town. There were tall buildings built into the walls, all living quarters with barely enough room to house the people within. Heading to one-such building, Ryu walked in through the doors and headed across the narrow lobby to a door, heading through and up the stairwell. Three flights up he turned into the hall, stopping at the fourth door. Quickly unlocking it, he stepped into the apartment he had called home for years: a bathroom-sized apartment with the bed built into the wall, which could be pulled down when needed. Stepping over a pile of books and papers, he walked to the narrow dresser and pulled it open, careful not to knock off the knickknacks strewn across its top. He pulled out a small satchel of Zenny, just in case, the small amount the only he had tucked away. He also pulled out a pocket-sized first aid kit and slipped it into a pouch on his belt.

"Huh. I thought I had more in here…" He shut the drawer, then headed back out, locking the door, "At least this should do for now, eh?"

"Now what were you doing, shaving your legs?" Bosch, looking impatient, was waiting for him at the lift station, stewing angrily over something or another, "No matter, I guess, we can't even use the damn lift…"

"Hm?" Ryu walked over, glancing over at the tracks- their ride was parked there, but clearly being worked on, "Needs repairs, eh?"

"Then they tell me, Bosch, 1/64 to **walk! **I have to **fucking **walk to the station!"

"Hey, it isn't so bad," Ryu smiled uneasily, shrugging a bit, "I patrol this area a lot- you can get to the station in a really short amount of time. It'll take us only a few minutes…"

"It better be quick, this is unjustifiable!" Gritting his teeth, Bosch started to follow Ryu, complaining loud enough for anybody within fifteen feet to hear, "It's not like I had somewhere to be at a certain time, my no!"

"…" Ryu sighed, rolling his eyes, leading Bosch down the tunnel, "Look on the bright side: You can complain as loud as you want in here and nobody will get you reported."

"True, true… unless mister mascara here becomes a tattletale, eh?"

"Only if Blondie wants him to."

"Nah, Blondie's fine," Bosch was slightly annoyed at the teasing, but laughed a bit anyhow, "There's a bunch of feral Genics down here, right? At least I can stab my frustration away. Poke out an eye, 'Sorry, ma'am, was that yours?'"

"Now I'm half expecting you to whip out the pirate lingo."

"Arrgh, matey! There be no law 'pon the seas!"

Both laughed, though never hearing of seas except in picture books.

"But yeah… quite a few, really, it makes me wonder if they just dump them out here after they go feral," Ryu began looking around as they walked across the train tracks, "I mean, I know it's my job and all but when they assign me to clean this place out…"

"Keeps you busy, yeah, I know," Bosch sighed, "At least its something at your level. Now if they assigned _me _that, there would be hell raised. A future regent doesn't get assigned projects like that, its just grunt work, you know? Not saying that it's a bad thing, it seems _you _enjoy it, but me, I prefer… hey, you listening?"

Walking quietly, Ryu looked rather downhearted. He then suddenly looked up, "Oh? Oh, oh yeah… okay… I'm listening…"

"Right, like I was saying- what in the _hell_?" Bosch suddenly pulled his foot up after hearing a loud squeak. He had placed it atop a small, round, furry creature with antennae, big lips and little bird feet. It scrambled to get upright but was quickly slain as his narrow blade shot through it. "Damn Nuggets… Then of course, where there's one…"

Multiple squeaks emitted through the narrow tunnel.

"There are the rest of them…"

"Uhnn…" Moving a hand to her head, Cheryl slowly sat up, but then hit her head, "Ow! Where am I?"

It was entirely black, no light whatsoever within her little room. Slowly reaching out, she found four sides… it then occurred to her she had been put into one of the metal crates intended for feral genics. Tapping against the metal surface, she judged it was made of iron and rather thick, but had a hollow space between both sides. Digging in her shirt, then, in and around her bosom, she fished for tools, but found out they had all been removed.

"Damn it…" She then ran her fingers through her hair and only found a paperclip, which she had put there in order to pick locks. Taking it up, she then began to drag it across the entire surface of the crate. It would dip in as it stopped over air holes, and soon she found the crack where the lid joined the rest of the crate. Uncurling the clip, she poked it through, but found out in the guard's desperation to keep her contained they had _completely welded the top shut_; she let out a shriek of frustration. Giving in for the first time in her life, she curled into a ball in her metal containment and began sobbing quietly, hugging her knees.

"Are they… are they all gone?" Bosch panted, leaning against a railing on a little platform leading through a door.

"I think so…" Ryu sank into a seated position, staring at the pile of dead Nuggets before them. Even though they were small, they could be deadly in large numbers since they had a lot of electricity in them. Yes, electric they were, so Ryu and Bosch now had slight burns from bursts of the energy. "Did you see the size of that last one?"

"I refuse to believe they should come in 'Mama' size," He grumbled, "That's just overdoing it a tad."

"I hear they have 'Papa' sizes now."

"Unholy…"

"Well," Ryu got back up on his feet, letting out a puff of air, "It's not too much farther. Hopefully no more run-ins with Nuggets of any size, eh?"

"I'm demanding a pay raise after all of this…" Bosch grudgingly got up and followed behind Ryu as they stepped through the door, "I mean, seriously, how do you keep yourself from going insane doing stuff like this?"

"…Uh…" That was the entirety of the response given. Ryu silently walked through a small door into another tunnel, only halfway listening to Bosch's complaints and ideals. Heading across a track open to a seemingly endless pit below, he glanced down as he stepped, wondering exactly how far down the holes went.

"You might want to watch for the-"

Smack!

"Door. Ryu, what are you, blind?"

"Ow… Hey… These things are suppose to-"

The door opened suddenly like it was suppose to.

"…Open by themselves."

"Heh, Ryu, bested by a door… Damn, I'm really going to have to work hard as a regent to get you a comfortable job."

"Uh… thanks?"

"Oh, don't worry, it's the least I could do for a somewhat cool guy, eh?" Bosch suddenly laughed, pushing Ryu as he got up into the next room, "Just watch out for those vicious doors!"

"Not like you've never run into any, Blondie!"

"Oh yeah? Since when?"

"Since now!" Ryu suddenly caught Bosch by the arm and playfully bumped him against the wall separating the open tracks and the enclosed area, "Look out, it's winning!"

"How dare you steer me into a wall!" In turn, he caught Ryu and suddenly gave him a sharp noogie, "Take that and that!"

"Ow! Ow! Cut it out!"

By the end of this venture, both were laughing their heads off, almost unable to stand since they shook so hard. Happy tears were scattered as they winced in sheer bliss, walking through another door and into a white, laboratory-style hallway.

"Better watch out…" Bosch pointed ahead, still laughing, "There's another challenger!"

Both started howling again as they approached the doorway, Ryu slowly reaching out to it. As soon as his hand touched its solid surface, he froze.

The sound of a heartbeat surrounded his senses.

A great, powerful figure, clothed in scales and claws was pinned to the wall by great rods. The beast was breathing and moving its head, while blood dripped from its torn wings and severed tail, the limb itself still writhing. Gazing upon this creature created the pulse to go faster, much more forceful than before.

_I see you._

His vision came close to the sunken face, the skin receding into the dragon's skull. The heartbeat picked up, a ringing kicking in, causing a splitting headache as the great dragon grew a devilish smirk…

_Finally, you come!_

"Ryu! Ryu, wake up!"


	4. Some are Predestined

1The Darkened Sanctum

_II: "Some Are Predestined..."_

"Ryu!"

"Uhnn..." Resting his hand against his head, Ryu slowly slid into a seated position. "What happened?"

"First you're laughing your head off, then you're kissing the floor. What is with you today? You're freaking me out!" Bosch pulled Ryu upright by the back of the jacket and let go only after he was steady, "Don't become schizophrenic on me before we finish our job!"

"Huh? Oh, no... no I won't..."

"Listen, buddy, take it easy. How about from here I lead, you follow? That way I can kill all those evil doors for you."

"Uh... No... I'll be okay." Ryu shook his head, then headed in through the door, staring down at his feet. Walking across the raised path, he looked up at the central platform and let out a gasp, staring up. The room was a sea of rocks, skeletons scattered and chained to the pyres. Weapons, discarded, littered free ground, but above, just in front of Ryu, was the great beast he had dreamed of.

It was pinned to the wall, just as in the vision, its flesh all melded to its bones. The great tail lied across the ground, severed, and the wings had those holes, but no new blood seemed to come from any wound. There was no doubt; this thing had been dead for a very long time, judging not just by its visual condition but by the smell.

"Woah..." Bosch walked in behind Ryu, staring up, "They don't have records of a genic **this **big! Think it's an experiment or something?"

Ryu stared up at the hanging corpse. How was he able to picture it before, so vividly and alive, without ever having seen it? It hung its head down now, and he was able to see into the dark, gaping holes where the skin on its skull had been eaten away.

"What, you scared?" Bosch teasingly nudged Ryu, "It's clearly dead, it won't bite. Come on, enough sightseeing."

"Right..." Following along slowly behind Bosch, Ryu kept his eyes fixed on the pinned beast, almost half-expecting it to start following. Reaching the doors, he looked back ahead and hurried to catch up.

They wound up in a small, laboratory-style hallway, white and clean with sliding doors. This was general storage for genics; a genic was a human-created creature, and the last known non-genic creature, a dog named Nununza, had died when Ryu and Bosch were little. Nowadays, all were manufactured, from little rodents to huge patrol beasts. They were helpful as long as they didn't go feral, but somehow...

As they headed down the hallway, Ryu paused by a door.

"Hey... looks like something happened in here."

"Hm?" Bosch backed up, peering into the room. It was a small room filled with desks and computers, but somebody (or something) had gone through and trashed the place. Broken bottles and needles lied across the floor near an overturned cart; somebody had quite the fight to get away, as there were faint spots of blood scattered about the floor. "Yes, it does. Keep walking."

"But... shouldn't we...?"

"It's not our job. Come on."

"..." Ryu continued past, heading through a door. Something odd was forming around him, a series of events, he noticed, that usually never happened. This was all leading somewhere, but no matter how hard he thought...

Winding out of the storage, they made it to the lift station. Bosch left Ryu to fill out the unwieldy paperwork (they had to sign in, and confirm the cargo was aboard even though they didn't get to see it) and impatiently waited aboard the engine, sighing a bit.

"You better hurry, Mister Mascara!"

"Here!" Ryu finished signing the paper and handed it to the man in charge of the station, then suddenly ran up to the lift as it started leaving and jumped on. Climbing up onto the platform, he found a sturdy section of railing and tried to relax a bit by leaning on it. Bosch was doing much the same thing, on the other side, both of them clearly not too excited about the job. "Now, isn't this an odd turn of events: we made it on time, even though we-"

"Yes, yes I know! Still!" Bosch huffed, "Making ME walk..."

In the dark of the cavern, along an old footpath that ran from station to station, a pair of big feet suddenly plodded past. The one-eyed creature, with a cloth draped over its head, had a rider- a woman in blue with a mask concealing the top half of her face, her tail bobbing about as they headed down the trail. Farther up ahead, she saw the lift as they came into view, and readied a gun, held tightly in her hand.

"...and let me tell you: that is NO way to treat someone of my status!" Bosch had been complaining the entire time, wearing exaggerated expressions and waving a hand about when he felt it was needed. "Then don't get me started on THIS: Guard duty? Me? Pssht."

Ryu sighed a bit, and then looked over his shoulder at the cavern walls. The tracks ran straight down the narrow tunnel, open to the darkness below. He caught glimpse of something moving in the shadows of the footpath, then slowly straightened up, facing that way.

"Hmm?" Bosch glanced over where he was looking, "See something?"

"...I think...AH!" Ryu quickly dropped to the surface of the platform, a few sparks flying above- the sound of the gunshot was still ringing in his ear, the bullet having just missed his head. The sound of more shots could be heard pinging against the metal lift, as well as the sound of those monstrous feet plodding against the rocky path. "Trinity!"

"God damn it, attack THIS freight, will you?" Bosch quickly regained his stance, taking a hold of a gun mounted on the railing, aiming, and taking fire. He was, unfortunately, missing terrible as the creature and its rider sped up ahead, "That's right! Run away, you cowards! Bahahah!"

"BOSCH!" Ryu suddenly pointed ahead at the tracks.

The blue-dressed woman had suddenly appeared on the tracks, a massive bazooka on her shoulder. She aimed straight ahead, as if to hit the train as it speeded closer and closer. Just as the two passengers were starting to panic, she fired and blew the track away in a huge cloud of glowing smoke. With a loud careen, the train had activated its safety breaks, but not in time- with a loud, sickening crack of metal, the entire vehicle fell off the railing and into the darkness, disappearing entirely. As the smoke cleared, the woman was entirely gone, but so was most of the tracks she had been standing on.

Hanging onto the edge of the suspended tracks, swinging a bit, Bosch managed to catch hold with his free hand and dragged himself up. Holding his head, he looked around, and when finding the condition the tracks were in (not to mention the rather missing cargo AND transport) he suddenly shouted, "Ryu! Ryu, where are you?"

A loud 'thud' finally echoed from below, the sound of the lift smashing against a surface below. Bosch winced at this noise, figuring that if Ryu wasn't up here... he was somewhere down there, all hope lost.

"Well... so much for the resume..."

Prying himself out from under a sheet of metal that had been ripped from the lift itself, Ryu climbed out, wincing something terrible, holding a large cut across his arm. The dust was still thick from being upturned, billowing in the air and choking him. As he slowly shuffled forward, he lost his balance and fell to the ground, a pulse suddenly running through his body.

_You live..._

The vision of the beast- the dragon clad in dull-gold scales with glimmering teeth and flaming red eyes filled his mind.

_I'll choose..._

The dragon had changed its stance, now on its feet, gaping maw letting out a blast of sound straight at him.

_I'll choose you!_

"Uhnn..." Ryu winced while lying on the ground, curling tighter to himself. It felt as if somebody had taken him into a very tight squeeze, his hole body being constricted. Soon, an intense heat followed, causing him to sweat as he lied across the ground. His heart was racing; one pulse after one pulse after another... At the height of the heat, and the compression, he was tempted to let out a yell but was quickly cut off by yet another vision.

Standing on a plane of white light, the blue figure had his back to the young man, the image shaking and quivering. The rich voice of this figure filled his hearing, speaking with clear intent: "There you are... the thousand-year world destroyer! Use your power wisely, young dragon... Find your fate before it finds you...!"

"AH!" Ryu suddenly shot upright, panting, his face still coated in the dust across the ledge he had fallen on. Around him, the lift had crashed, pieces of it burning and letting off foul smoke. Most of the dust had cleared by now, suggesting he had been lying there for a good amount of time. He slowly moved his hand from his arm, expecting the large gash- with a bit of shock, he found the cut to still exist on his sleeve, but not on his arm. An odd warmth, and a slightly pink scar were the only evidence left, leaving him a bit scared. Looking around, he slowly got upright, dusted himself off, then walked to some of the debris.

As far as he could tell everything was destroyed- he did manage to find the cargo the freight was lifting, or, rather, the container it was in. The top had broken off, and whatever had been inside was gone.

"That's no good... ugh... better find it... I wonder... Bosch?"

His voice echoed vainly.

"Bosch? Are you down here?"

Ryu's echo was the only response.

"...How far did I fall?" Sighing, he headed across the ledge, coming across a metal doorway that had fallen in. The metal walls were coated in rust, but with no other options, he headed in. As soon as he had entered, however, he caught glimpse of the great beast, without the rider, walking across the room- more than that, he had a young girl in his arm and was carting her away. "Hey! HEY!"

The Gigantis proceeded to clamber for the door, the girl hanging limply in its grasp. Ryu suddenly ran around the pile of crates to the creature, catching its attention as he shouted at it again. Suddenly swinging a fist at the man, the creature kept the girl held steady, but missed terribly.

"Let her go!" Ryu drew his sword, moving back in front of the creature who merely swung at him again. Getting back upright, he gave it a final chance- its hand swung down, meaning to pound the sense out of Ryu, but it was caught.

Gritting his teeth and staring directly at the creature's single eye, Ryu had caught and was effortlessly holding the hand above his head. He was unable to notice a faint, warm red glow rising about around him, nor was paying attention to how furious he had gotten in such a short time. He spoke, through his teeth, "You'll be sorry if you don't."

The beast simply moved to pull its hand away, but then suddenly screamed with pain as Ryu shot past, blade whisking through the air and through bone. The creature drew up the arm that once held the girl, its hand no longer intact, blood pouring from the wound. Ryu rolled to the side, young girl in hand- he carefully lied her down across the floor as the beast came charging. Simply turning and standing, he faced the beast, unmoving, as his eyes became a blood-red.

Metal shrieked through the air in one effortless blow, the body of the Gigantis coming to a halt, and falling onto its side. Furthermore, its head landed a few feet away, the eye glazed over, suggesting that it was a little more than dead. Panting, Ryu slowly put his blade away, his eyes fading back to their normal, gentle blue. Getting down on his knees before the young girl, he carefully gazed her over.

Her face was held in an extremely soft expression; her hair, blonde, was cut short in the back but combed down over the left side of her face. A red, circular pattern was tattooed on her forehead, a symbol Ryu hadn't seen before. A ragged, white, very thin cotton dress had been put on her, barely in one piece. Her right arm had a brown guard across it, starting just below her elbow and ending on the back of her hand, a large, circular band around this. She had another one around her left foot, an ankle guard under that. Very thin, with bare feet, her pale skin had blue markings that gracefully curved about her narrow figure. But the most astonishing were the blood-red appendages lying underneath her, which suspiciously looked like a pair of _upside down wings, _though featherless. She lied still, though breathing.

"You..." Ryu slowly reached to touch her hand, "You okay?"

"..." The girl slowly opened her eyes, both a dark brown. She blinked once, a dull sparkle appearing within them. With a loud yelp, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Ryu, clinging to his jacket, her whole body trembling in fear.

"Woah!" Slightly startled, Ryu moved his arm behind the girl and patted her shoulder a bit, "Don't worry, I got him."

She slowly released her grip, staring up at him, still looking a bit frightened.

"Can you stand?"

She nodded.

He got up, then pulled her into an upright position, dusting her off, careful of the extra appendages that he didn't think much of. After getting her as clean as he could, he looked at her with a kind, bright smile, "What's your name?"

"N..." Her voice wavered, the noise barely being warbled out. The girl's throat was still sore from what they had did, but now was the first time she realized the full effect of the 'secondary operation', "Ni... na..."

"Nina? Your voice... you can't...?"

She slowly shook her head no, looking ready to cry.

"I'm Ryu. I'm not quite sure if... well... if you were, we fell a long way down. A LONG way down... Come on. Let's figure out where we are, huh? I don't plan on leaving you here by a longshot."

Nina simply gazed up at him, silent.

"Come on... I'll walk you out of here." He extended his hand, trying to look as friendly as he could. When her skinny hand took hold of his, he smiled brightly, "Thatta girl. Let's get out of this dreary place, eh?"

Both began walking, Nina staying just one step behind Ryu. Her wings bobbed slightly with each step, faint, red sparkles drifting off behind her. Nervous, she was biting her lip, keeping a tight hold on that warm, gloved hand, trying not to get too far behind. Though all those she had known before him had been horrible and terrifying, she somehow knew that this one... this one was a kindred soul.

"Looks like an old storage facility... they've turned it into a trash chute." Ryu kept an eye out, scanning the large room, as he stepped up to a door. Using his free hand, he opened it, then lead little Nina inside. "I think I know where we are, we should be able to get out of here pretty quickly."

Nina simply nodded, closely shuffling along. She clung a bit closer when a spider dropped from the ceiling, only a little one, the little creature scurrying away in another direction. She looked back ahead as he opened another door, both of them walking through. There was silence in this room, but still nervous, Nina pulled herself closer to her savior.

"Doesn't look like-"

The click of a gun was heard, the barrel of it pointing straight at Ryu's head who had frozen to a halt.

"Hello."

"It's you!" He looked out of the corner of his eye at the woman from before- she still had her mask on, the eyes purposely colored red. "What do you want?"

"The girl. Don't worry, she's in good hands."

"Why should I give her to you, huh? You'll take her somewhere and cut her open!"

This made Nina yelp a bit.

"She's been cut up far too much already. I'm serious now. Hand the kid over or say goodbye to your gray matter. Really, is this hard to do?"

"...What are you going to do with her?"

"Why does it matter to YOU? You'll simply return her like unwanted merchandise, freak."

"What ARE you talking about?" Ryu suddenly stared straight at the woman, who didn't flinch at the movement, "I'm going to get her out of here!"

"Hmm." The woman flicked her tail back and forth, then eased out of the stance, letting her gun down. "It seems that we're both trying to do the exact same thing. Wouldn't make sense, now, to blow you up, eh? She's far too attached to you- too traumatic."

"What is it you want?"

"Let's work together."

"Yeah right, like I'm going to work with a faceless terrorist!"

"Faceless?" Lin suddenly pulled her mask off, her bright blue eyes piercing Ryu's sight, "I may be a terrorist but I'm far from faceless. Now seriously. Let's get all of us out together, what do you say?"

"..." Ryu stared uneasily at Lin for a moment in silence, then looked down at Nina, who in turned stared up with those deep brown eyes. Letting out a sigh, he moved his glance back to Lin, "But don't consider me a friend yet, criminal."

"Nope, don't plan on it. Now do you have a title you happen to go by or are you just 'freak'?"

"Ryu 1/8192."

"Lin. Glad to meet you." She gave a devious grin, putting her gun in its holster, "Alright, goody two-shoes, let's get this locomotive moving! Three doors down and up a few flights will take us to the LowSector lift station and we'll see how things go from there. This way."

She strode past Ryu, tail gracefully following in light swishes behind her, somewhat annoying him. He, in turn, sighed and brought Nina along as they walked through the door and back into the previous room, following Lin through another door.

What a day, he thought, and somehow he knew it was only planning on getting worse.


	5. Return What's Missing

The Darkened Sanctum

_III: "Return What's Missing…"_

"But… but captain-"

"Your job was to protect the cargo and make sure it was delivered safely," Zeno had her eyes fixed on Bosch's, who was trying to keep himself together in her office. "You aren't done with your job. You'll have to go retrieve it and bring it back for reshipment."

"But Ryu-"

"If he's fallen, he'll have no hope. If he is alive, he is strong enough to come back. He's tougher than you think he is. But right now, he isn't the issue, nor is the fact half of the track is missing: you _must _go and retrieve the shipment, do you understand?"

"…Y… Yes ma'am."

"Perhaps while you are searching, you'll come across him again. He isn't one to give in that easily." Zeno pushed her glasses back up her nose quickly, "But don't let _anybody _stand in your way at recovering that creature! You cannot fail this mission: your reputation is on the line, young sir."

"…" Bosch stared with a shattered look. "Right, ma'am. I'll go start looking now!"

He turned and left quickly, Zeno letting out a sigh as the door slid back shut.

"All these setbacks… Ryu, you better come back up here alive."

"There!"

The heavy blue iron crate was roughly tossed into a room. The two men that had hauled it took a minute to rest as it was ungodly heavy. The bigger man, with short brown hair, looked at his companion, "What's in this thing anyhow?"

"Hello?" A weak feminine voice came out from the crate, "Where are we now?"

"That… that sounds like…"

"Don't mind it," The younger man headed for the door, "Don't worry, little miss, you're at the next destination. The doctor will see you shortly… hehe!"

"Doctor? Hey!" There was a sudden pounding from inside the crate, "Don't leave me here!"

"Sorry, regulations: all lab equipment and animals must be kept contained until the proper authority opens them!"

Cheryl growled as she heard the two men leave, and then sat back in the corner of her crate, staring at her bare feet in the very dark confinement. They had moved her from the storage up to the main labs, it seemed, and she only had a small slice of time before somebody would slice into her. With a sense of hopelessness, she frowned, looking about the box.

Then she sat up a bit. Listening close, she heard nothing, meaning the men were gone. She moved to the side of the crate, opposite to the side she heard the men leave from. Cheryl then slammed her figure against the hard side, wincing a bit- but the crate had tipped slightly. It set itself back down with a loud 'clang', but nobody seemed to notice. Refocusing her pain into energy, she slammed again into the wall, and leaned against it- with the amount of force she had used, the entire crate suddenly fell onto the next side with a resounding 'thud'. Panting, rubbing her side, she waited breathlessly.

Nobody came.

She did it once more, then again, swallowing pain. Four of these heavy turns made her crate fall against the open doorway, hanging crookedly. The lid was face down- crouching; she tried to jump on the surface. After fifteen minutes, the top fell through and she tumbled out, but soon heard voices. Climbing out from under, she headed down the hall opposite to the voices with great speed.

"That vision… Hortensia, would you share it with the rest of them?"

It was a darkened room, carved out of marble, chairs behind two curved desks that were near the center of the circular room. There were people sitting at each of these chairs, each silent within the darkness. One man, glowing patterns running up and down his figure, stood to the front of the group but faced away. He was staring directly at a great tapestry that hung from the wall; black on red, it depicted a dragon and many symbols running down its length, designed in curls and curves. Ancient writing labeled these things, the entire thing made with expert detail. But above, the view was the best: a circular window letting in soft, white light. However, there was nothing to see but the light and the curling pattern through the window, a false sense of hope.

A woman, blonde, in a white, very short dress, also clad in armor across her arms and legs, with her eyes shut tightly and her head slightly bowed looked up after this remark. Keeping those feather-soft lids closed, she spoke in a rich voice, "Man will gain wings… and the Sky will return. These words came wrapped in uncertainty… I cannot see further into this dream."

"Man will gain wings…?" A man to the right side of the room, with red hair, scoffed, "I don't see men growing wings any time soon."

"We shall wait for this vision to clear… but… there is one who has been chosen… However, his number is low… far too low for my comfort." The man before the desks sighed silently, "But there isn't much we can do for now… let us watch… and see what becomes of our dragon."

"Ow! Stop tossing things back here!"

"Well, don't walk in the path of my throwing."

Nina looked among the two, silent, occasionally ducking as boxes and other assorted trash was tossed back. Lin was ahead, carving a path out of the litter, purposely tossing things back in Ryu's direction. Nina learned how to duck after the third time of being hit, but now was dodging expertly. Ryu, on the other hand, was going about it all the wrong way- he'd raise his arm up to deflect the blows. Nina slightly wished she could tell him how to duck the _proper_ way, but that wasn't happening any time soon.

"That almost hit me in the eye!" Ryu tossed a box aside, grumbling, "Do you even know where you're going?"

"Do you?" Lin looked back with a devious smile.

"I asked you first!"

"I first asked you."

"No you- oh for the love of…" Ryu ducked as a tin can was tossed back via Lin's tail, "You were talking about _'working together' _just a few minutes ago, now you're… you're…"

"Getting on your nerves?"

"YES!"

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves," Lin suddenly broke out into song, clearing the path, tail bobbing to the music, "Everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves. I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this-is-how-it-goooooes!"

Growing a headache, he growled some, but was calmed some when Nina would pat his arm slightly. Clearly she understood all that was going around her, and she even looked a bit annoyed by the singing, too. Lin was on the third verse by the time they reached a ladder to the second story.

Up here it was the same: rust-eaten metal walls, garbage strewn about, faint dripping noises from dark corners, and a general lack of good lighting. Dust was thick in the air down here, swirling before their eyes as they pressed onward. Lin's raucous singing echoed down the metal halls as they continued, almost making the paneling vibrate.

"And this is how it-"

"Shut up already! You're being extremely immature! For a terrorist I was expecting a little better- I guess I was-"

"Mistaken."

"…" Ryu growled a bit, "Right. Now seriously, how far are we?"

"Three flights."

"Thank you. Do you know how to get up there?"

"Yes, amazingly. Isn't that a novel idea: I'm leading you two, and I know the way! That's so amazingly splendid, huh?" She looked over her shoulder with an odd grin, "I'm not planning on leading you into an abyss or something. Don't be so paranoid. I'm not even interested in _you_."

"Well, if you're 'interested' in Nina then you've gotta deal with ME."

"See, exactly why it isn't worth it. You'd be expecting it. But cut me some slack here, buddy-"

"Don't. Call. Me. THAT." He growled, "I am NO friend of ANY criminal."

"Ah!" Nina suddenly tugged on his arm, catching his attention. She slowly shook her head no at him when he looked down, with a faint sigh.

"…Alright. I won't fight with her anymore. I think Nina would like it if you cooperated, too."

The little one nodded.

"Fine, alright." She continued forward, tossing things to her sides now, occasionally picking up things with her tail. Walking through a grungy door, she came to halt in the large room; trash heaps went up to the ceiling, but more importantly there were genics running about around the area. However, she merely grinned, "Antz."

"What?"

"Antz. Feral Worker Ants." She stepped out into the room, causing a few to run off- clearly, they didn't want to harm the party nor be harmed themselves. "They're good luck because they don't bother you. Leave 'em alone and its said someday they'll make you a fortune."

"Huh." Ryu followed, Nina close behind, looking at the large, brown ants digging through the trash piles. They would wiggle their antennae, 'sniffing' the piles before digging, and they would take out some of the oddest things: Old toys and other knickknacks. "Never heard of that."

"Though some genics go 'feral', not all of them wind up becoming violent, you know. Some will go out of their way to stay away from you. Then there's certain types that always go nuts- it's important to tell them apart. I'm surprised a law-abiding person like you wouldn't know this!" Lin passed by an ant that was digging and lightly tapped its head, getting a surprised squeak in response, "Silly little things. Who knows what they do with the stuff they collect?"

Nina glanced at the ant Lin had tapped as they walked by, and she reached out and patted its head. It watched the party walk away, only wriggling its antennae and tilting its head in odd directions.

The next story was, well, a different story, to put it both literally and figuratively. Reaching the next, large room, they found themselves facing a bunch of, well, piles of goo. Not ordinary goo, these were killer, feral Goo, magic-wielding jellyballs that packed a punch.

"Oh, I hate these things!" Lin suddenly whipped out a gun, pointed straight at a golden one and fired- the creature bent inward, then the bullet popped out a second later as its gelatin-like body simply reformed. Its eyes, though bouncing up and down atop its head, never got knocked away. "God damn it!"

"Stay here, Nina!" Ryu drew his sword and dove into the pile: there were red ones, blue ones, and yellow ones, all identical in shape and size. They'd make peculiar 'boing' noises as they moved about, and soon the two were getting hit with fire, water, and lightning spells.

"!" Nina watched this in panic- she knew how to take care of these creatures, but she hadn't a weapon! Looking among the scene in fright, she jumped as some small claw tapped her from behind. Looking back, she saw the little ant that she had petted from before, who handed over a piece of foil. She took it, stared at it for a moment, and then put her hands together. It watched, curiously, as she 'pulled' her arms out, signaling something long. Then she made a 'pinch' gesture, suggesting it was thin. Finally, she held her arms out in an 'I don't know' pose. The ant nodded, then ran back downstairs. She watched over her shoulder as her party got their butts whipped, becoming more and more anxious. Soon, though, the ant returned, and held out another shiny, long, thin object- a pipe and faucet that once was part of a sink. Patting the gentle creature on the head, Nina took up the pipe, ran out onto the field, then suddenly raised the now-a-staff up with a loud 'Ah!'

The creatures were suddenly hit with a wave of electricity, causing the red ones to melt into puddles, the blue ones to take medium damage, but healed the yellow ones, as the surprised Lin and Ryu dove out of the way.

"Uhnn!" She swung the pipe down, creating a blast of ice to shoot past the remaining Goo- the red ones melted, the blue ones healing. "Ooh!"

Finally, with a wave of fire, the blue ones melted into puddles, nothing left on the battlefield but little Goo eyes. She let out a sigh, wiping her forehead off.

"N…Nina!" Ryu scrambled out to her, "That… that was amazing!"

"Interesting powers…" Lin clambered out of her hiding place, finding a pop-can ring around her tail. She pulled it off quickly. "Well, we know who to turn to now for instant campfires."

Ryu glared a bit at Lin, then looked back at Nina. "Are you okay? Hey, where'd you get-"

The little ant scurried away, taking its foil with it.

"Told you they were good luck…!"

After a few more, better-fought conflicts, winding through the dark, grimy halls, they went up the last, creaky ladders. The dust thinned as they climbed to the surface, but was still very visible in the dull golden light. But before leaving, they had stumbled upon a room that was once a dorm; old beds, hanging off the walls themselves, complete with dusty mattresses.

"Let's… take a break." Ryu let go of Nina's hand and took a well-deserved sit on a bed. "If ever just walking was a chore… ugh…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Lin moved to lean against the grungy wall, looking at Nina as she started to wander about the dirty room. She was in contrast with the concrete floors and rusted metal walls; that white dress and those sparkle-emitting wings making her highly visible. Staring at those wings, Lin suddenly grew a smirk.

"So, don't you want to know what she is?"

"What- huh?" Ryu looked over and noticed Lin was staring at Nina, then he looked at the woman, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, don't you?"

"…You wouldn't tell me anyhow, would you, criminal?"

"…" Lin frowned slightly, then let out a sigh. "Truth is… I'unno. I was just told to bring her back to HQ. I wasn't told anything more."

"Huh. Then how do you know they're not just going to cut her up?"

"Because I know…" She let out a sigh, "I just do."

"Well, whatever, I don't really care. I just want to make sure she gets somewhere safe."

Lin smiled a bit. She spoke to herself, "I admire that, Ryu."


	6. Falling Into Darkness

The Darkened Sanctum

_IV: "Falling Into Darkness…"_

"Ready to get moving again?"

"I guess…" Ryu stood up, stretching out a bit. As soon as he extended his hand, though, there was another attached to it. Glancing over, he found it was Nina, who looked content to stand there just as long as she had contact with him. "You too, huh?"

She nodded.

"Righty then." Lin moved from the wall, her back now slightly dusty, sashaying across the room to the door. Her tail swished about along with her graceful walking, making it look as if she were simply flowing across the grungy floors. Stopping at the doorway, she spoke, "We're actually a door away from the EndSector's living… area. From there we can get to the Lowsector via the railway, IF I'm thinking correctly. I only blew up the tracks to the higher levels. Hehe."

"…I don't see how you can find that amusing." Ryu started off, Nina right beside him, "You nearly killed me and my partner- at least, I believe he's still alive- and disrupted all the routes heading that way… and you laugh about it."

"Different strokes for different folks, buddy."

"I told you NOT to call me that!"

"Alright, alright." Wading through a narrow hall packed with trash, Lin grasped the barely-still-there handle on the door and pushed it open. They would up walking a small flight of stairs up into an open, dark cavern, lit by one or two lights and a campfire placed in the middle of the open area, on the exposed rock. The people here were wearing tattered rags; everyone was extremely thin and they were covered in dust, something they really couldn't avoid. There were no houses- people slept under the raised metal pathways that allowed access to a railway that ran through a tunnel. "Welcome to the Endsector, the most wonderful vacation spot."

"…" Ryu stepped out, gazing around. He'd only been here once or twice, but never for long, and never thought much of the place. But now that he got a good look at it… he felt sorry.

Nina, gazing around as well, slowly recognized the area. Slightly upset at the thoughts that came to mind, she closed her eyes and leaned against Ryu, trying to hide her face against his sleeve.

"…What's the matter?" He looked down, and then bent down so he was at her level. Patting her head gently, he looked concerned: "Are you okay?"

"Ryu," Lin stretched out casually, standing off to the side, "I think she's been here before. I don't blame her for being upset: I'd hate to live here."

"Did… did you live here?"

Nina did not nod, nor shook her head. She just kept her eyes closed and let out a heavy sigh.

"…" Ryu patted her head again, and then stood back up, taking her hand. "You don't have to stay here. I'll bring you wherever you want to go. If I have to… I suppose I could find room in the apartment… I've slept under a bed before…"

"What a heroic deed, indeed. Come on, I'm in the middle of working and we can't waste time here. I have a delivery to make!" Lin started up a metal set of stairs, around a few staring people, "The faster we go, the less you have to see me…!"

"…Come on, Nina."

They walked up the metal stairs and catwalks, getting odd stares from the locals. The stares given to Ryu were different than the ones given to Lin and Nina; they looked more angry, a strange fire in their eyes. They must have known he was a Ranger, and probably despised him for being able to live in a better setting. It made him uneasy, but he noticed many smiled when Lin walked past, a few waving as if they knew her. On the third highest catwalk, he moved closer to Lin and whispered, "Did you live here or something?"

"No," She spoke aloud, "I didn't ever live here."

"Then why…?"

"Wouldn't YOU like to know?" Lin smirked, a bit of a chuckle in her voice. She waved a hand in the air as they entered a tunnel, "Bye, everyone."

"Bye, Lin!" All the little kids that had followed up until this point waved.

"…Uh… bye?" Ryu waved back, somewhat signaling Nina to do the same.

"…" The kids turned and ran off, instantly back to playing.

"Come ON, are you always this slow?"

"You know, my partner tells me those things all the time…" Ryu caught up, but not too fast, mostly for Nina's sake, "I'm really that slow?"

"Actually, I was being sarcastic." She put her arms behind her head, in a relaxed pose, tail curving into a sideways 'U' behind her, "Can't you tell when someone is being blatantly mean?"

"…Blatantly mean?"

"I've been purposely annoying you, you twit," Lin suddenly tugged on his hair, fishing an 'Ow!' out of him, "I like you about as much as you like me, and frankly, you're only a technicality of my retrieval mission! I could care less that you're there, buddy, but it ain't worth the effort."

"I knew that…" Ryu grumbled. Though he thought about it for a moment: Maybe he was just a little too nice. A little too trusting. That's right, he thought, why is he trying to be nice to a criminal? Changing gears, he frowned a bit, then snapped back, "Besides, your wants are miniscule to what me and Nina need."

"What DO you need?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Ah, yes. The heroic bit."

Nina let out a faint sigh, carefully stepping up off the tracks onto the main platform of the station. If only she could tell them to just be quiet and get along- her attention was called when she heard footprints. She came to a halt, staring at the stairs leading up, Ryu coming to a halt. Though he asked what was wrong, she didn't hear him, and as soon as she saw the shoes coming down the stairs, she ran around behind him in an effort to hide.

"?" Ryu straightened up, staring at the stairs as two regular Rangers came, but the last pair of feet caught his attention. He knew those orange shoes- with a burst of relief, he was able to identify the last person as Bosch.

"Howdy, partner!" Bosch stepped down from the stairs, in between the other rangers, "So you did survive! Heh! You're a little bit tougher than I give you credit for."

"Bosch! I was wonder-"

"I see you brought the shipment with you! This makes my job a lot easier." Bosch smirked that usual snotty smirk, resting his blade across his shoulder, "Well, let's go find Zeno and get it reshipped!"

Nina yelped, and Ryu stared back, confused. He thought Lin would be gone by now, but she was standing beside him, slowly drawing her weapon. "What… no, Nina? She's not…"

"Hmm." Bosch walked forward, stopping before Ryu, staring at Nina. She yelped again and moved so her face wasn't visible. "It's gotten very attached to you, eh? Don't let yourself get attached to IT- we have to send it back!"

"Nina is not an IT. She isn't being shipped ANYWHERE."

"This is the part I wish we could avoid. Let me tell you my direct orders are to get the cargo and forget anyone else in front of it. Do you know what that means, partner?"

"We're going to my apartment," Ryu stared Bosch straight in the eyes, with a serious expression, "And that's all that's going to happen."

Bosch sighed, and then waved his hands, making the two regents walk forward. Nina separated from Ryu, backing away, trembling. Ryu tried to reach back but found her missing, and started to move backwards. But before he could finish his step, he suddenly let out a sharp yelp.

Blood dripped from his knee, Bosch's thin blade sticking halfway through it. Watching him collapse onto his other knee, Bosch kept the blade steady, "Listen, Ryu, there's no argument here…"

Lin now had her gun raised, slowly backing away, but keeping near Nina. The rangers continued to approach the two, Nina starting to whimper.

"It's COMING," He shoved the blade the rest of the way through, with a sickening 'spurt' and a bit of a pop noise. Ryu winced terribly, as he continued, "With US. Understand…?"

"She's… not…" Ryu trembled in pain, gritting his teeth, "…an it."

The blade was suddenly whipped out of his knee, a few drops of blood being swung back, then with a sharp squeak, the blade was thrust back at the young man. Eyes glazing over, Ryu gazed numbly up at Bosch, gurgling as blood filled his throat; the weapon stuck out the back of his neck.

"Just following orders…" Bosch tried to keep his cool, but his expression was shifting a bit, clearly in some amount of horror that he just did what he did. The others in the room had come to a complete halt; Lin stared with a shocked expression. Hiding behind Lin, Nina's eyes were _huge_, tears now rolling down her face. "…P…partner…"

Ryu made a few odd noises, blood running from the wound.

"Am I… am I going to die?"

The question rang through his mind.

_You shall rise!_

"I'm… d…dying…"

_You shall rise and strike!_

"Why…?"

_Rise and destroy them all!_

Bosch was jerked in a sudden movement- Ryu's gloved hand curled tightly around the blade. Slowly rising, eyes filling with a blood-red anger, the man stared straight at his horrified partner.

"Y…You should be dead!" Bosch trembled a bit, but tried to keep the sword steady.

Pulling it out with a loud 'spurt', Ryu effortlessly pushed Bosch out of the way, a fiery aura rippling around him. His entire figure was engulfed in black, red, glowing lines, like magma in cracked earth, spread all across his body, fusing the wound shut. With a pained stumble forward, the demonic-looking figure collapsed onto its wounded knee, which also healed rapidly; then in a burst of fire, the figure was rebuilt.

Now standing before the trembling Bosch was a demonic looking figure; Ryu's body had been completely transformed, his hands now huge claws, his arms mostly clad in red scales that ended near his shoulders. His feet were now like talons, dressed in red scales, ending with black claws… Scales ran around his neck and down his back, where two raised openings were allowing flames to billow out like vents. His hair had become pure white, red horns wrapping around from behind his now-pointed ears. His eyes were blood red, staring with nothing but hate and rage. Inside, Ryu was lost, the heart of the dead dragon beating faster and faster as the temperature in his body increased.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!" Bosch backed away, readying his blade for combat, "LEAVE THE LITTLE ONE!"

"Nina, stay close!" Lin suddenly aimed at one of the rangers, who came running, blade extended, and fired- the bullet ricocheted off armor under his vest, making a loud 'ping' noise. The man yelled, bringing the sword down- rolling away, Lin had Nina under one arm and was quickly getting out of the way.

At the same time, Bosch and the other ranger tried to attack the dragonized figure; they had terrible luck, as he was dodging so fast he was hard to see. All the more that they did this, the angrier he grew; when the lower class man stumbled back, the enraged being caught him around the neck.

The man gasped his last breath of air when, effortlessly, Ryu's claws clenched shut, the ranger's neck instantly snapping. Tossing the body away, he glided backwards for the second ranger at an alarming speed, and elbowed the man so hard his spine broke in half in the single blow. Leaving the man to fall, Ryu shot off after the extremely scared Bosch, slowly raising his claws up as he approached.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Bosch abruptly ran off screaming, up the stairs, almost fast enough to leave his shadow behind. He even tripped on the stairs, but scrambled upright and left, going as fast as his scrawny legs would take him.

"…" Lin stared as Ryu then turned, facing her and Nina. Slowly stepping back, scared out of her wits, she raised her gun and began trembling a bit. As he came closer (though much slower) she threatened, "S-stay away f-from me, y-y-you freak!"

He ignored her entirely and came to halt before Nina, then let out a yelp of pain as he collapsed onto his hands and knees. The young girl stepped back as Ryu burst into flame, returning to his normal form.

Panting, Ryu felt his skin was on fire, cold sweat running down every inch of his skin. Swallowing hard, it felt like somebody had dropped a lit match down his throat. The two fallen fighters lay scattered around him- looking up, he caught glimpse of the crying Nina. Wincing, he sat up on his knees and held his arms open to her, silent.

Lin watched, still pointing the gun straight at Ryu, as Nina moved forward and took him into a hug. She let her arms fall slowly- he seemed to HUG her like a normal person, and was now ACTING like a normal person. "W…What ARE you?"

"I…" He drew Nina a little closer, hugging her firmly. He could feel her wet face against his, and her frame shaking with tears within his arms. Letting out a sigh, and closing his eyes, he slowly let the words ooze from his mouth.

"I… I don't know."

Digging carefully through a drawer, Cheryl was looking for one thing: a scalpel. Until she could find better defense, that would be the only way she could make it out. Pricking her finger, she winced, and then carefully pulled out the tiny, gleaming knife. Pushing the drawer closed, she walked to a desk and began collecting any keys she could find and paperclips. She put a few rubber bands around her arms like bracelets and also pocketed a ball of twine.

"There's the sweetheart!"

She gasped, turning around- the two men who had put her crate into storage were in the doorway. Remaining still, she stared in fright at the two, starting to tremble. Was everything going down the drain again?

"Lids don't fall off by themselves, do they? Though it is surprising someone so little could roll that crate…" The bigger man started stepping closer, moving slowly, figuring that if he was calm, she'd stay calm. "But it's time for you to go back until you're needed!"

Shrinking back as he came closer, her finger touched the end of the scalpel again, and started bleeding further. A frown slowly grew on her face as she kept her eyes fixed on the man- she secretly moved the blade into a usable position in her hand. The man cooed to her, asking her to come back willingly.

"…It would make our lives- all of ours, including yours- much easier!"

Cheryl grew an insane glint in her eye. "I don't **fucking **care about your life!"

With a yell, she leapt upon the man, who was taken by surprise. He stumbled back, moving to grab her, but let out a gargling yell as he collapsed. She jumped away from him, having slit his throat, blood spattered on her plastic overcoat.

"HOLY SHIT!" The second one pulled out a gun and quickly loaded it- aiming it, he found the girl to be gone. "…Where are you… sweetheart?"

No noise came from any corner of the room.

"Sweetheart…?"

He ducked at the paper-puncher came flying from behind the desk. "HEY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

The dictionary came next, followed by the tape dispenser. He hurried around behind the desk and found the girl cowering, hands over the back of her head, trembling. "You… you… alright, come on, let's get you back to containment and we'll forget your little accident!"

She let out a whimpering, pained noise.

"…You okay? You didn't fall on your knife, did you?" The man slowly reached out for the girl, his kind heart finally kicking in- he stumbled backward, screaming, with his eyelid stapled closed. "AAAAIGH!"

Cheryl then made use of the tool and promptly beat him about the head with the stapler several times until he had an open gash- he whipped up his gun and fired when he had the opening. The girl dropped the stapler, an open wound through her chest, slowly dropping to her knees. Collapsing onto her face, blood began to spread around her small figure.

Panting, the man set down the gun and reached to take her pulse. It was faint- very faint- but then it jumped. Moving his hand away, he found the barrel of the gun pointed straight at his stomach.

"I… I s…" The girl trembled, "Said I d…don't care… about… about your… life…!"


	7. A Little Reprieve

1The Darkened Sanctum

_V: "A Little Reprieve…"_

"Kekeke… orders straight from the top, eh…?"

A child's figure stood facing a lanky man, head entirely engulfed in a cracked, rock-like mask. Pins and needles stuck every which-way out of his head, and a medallion with an eye printed on it was held secure around the back of his head by black bands. He had a clipboard in hand, a glowing red seal on the clip that held the handwritten papers.

"…" The young male that stood before him had very delicate features; his face was perfectly proportioned, with a slightly feminine look about the curvature of the cheeks and chin. His hair was a true, light lavender, kept short in the back, but a length of it on either side of his head had been gathered and secured in a hanging loop. His narrow figure, from his perfectly curving neck to his dainty hands, somehow breathed a youthful beauty. He wore a green, body-hugging suit, with a white shirt underneath. His legs were hidden behind sleek, light blue fabric that was buttoned to the bottoms of the green suit. A band ran across his forehead, with a red reflector in the center; his appearance was made faerie-like with the final addition of his softly pointed, slightly drooping, furry ears. He took the clipboard back in his hands, which had fingerless gloves pulled tightly across them. "Yes… I am sure you already know what to do…"

"He says to do what I like, and I know what I like. This will be easier than splitting veins!"

"…" Cupid sighed, "Then the rest is up to you, sir Tantra."

"Hah! Calling me a sir is a joke, little missy!"

"…Uhm… I'm not…"

"I don't care what you are…" Tantra started to stagger away, laughing to himself, "You're just another little spoiled freak, like the rest of those boobs…"

"…" He sighed, watching the freakish man leave. Cupid then knelt down and petted a small, orange, round mammal, causing its bell collar to ring a bit. "Well, Rasta, shall we go back…?"

Rasta allowed himself to be picked up, as content as he could be within his master's arms. He let out a faint purring noise as Cupid turned and headed off into darkness…

"This won't… this won't do a thing, will it?"

"We have to get moving."

Ryu slowly let go of Nina, rising- his knee was a bit off, but the wound was entirely gone, just a warm sensation where the blade had gone through. His throat was slightly sore, but also warm, totally healed on both sides. Nina had calmed down quite a bit, but had his arm held as close as she could- he still had his hand resting across her face, trying to keep her comforted. "Lin…I…"

"Listen, I don't care what you are right now, but we have to move- murdering two men in two minutes doesn't exactly get you respect points. If we stall too long, Rangers will be up and down the tunnel like a swarm of angry Nuggets. We both can't afford them getting their hands on Nina."

"Where will we go?" Ryu looked a bit scared, but also steady, "We can't go and hide in town-"

"We go up."

"Up?"

"Listen, you're speaking with a member of Trinity here," Lin scoffed, "You don't think I know a thing or two about avoiding law-abiding people? I'll sneak you both up to Trinity HQ and-"

"Why would I want to go there?"

"Because you want to have HER safe!" Lin's finger pointed straight at Nina.

Ryu looked at Nina, who stared up at him, still holding his arm so his hand rested against her face. They silently stood for a minute or two, until Ryu let out a soft sigh. "Well, maybe not to Trinity, but… up is our only option."

"Exactly. Now let's move before they get out the party favors!"

Starting to move, and hurried by Lin, the party quickly headed up the stairs, leaving the bodies behind. They snuck through the junction that led from the station, the Ranger HQ, and the Borough, not being noticed.

"There's a pathway to BioCorp labs through the storage area down here. We wind up through that mess and go from there. Now if they still use the same card systems, I think I've got us covered." Lin led them to a metal doorway, and slid in, bringing the two with down the stairs, "I know it's kind of backwards to go down to get up, but you'll understand as we continue."

"No, I understand... So many tunnels..."

Heading into the grungy, dark metal hall, Lin paused and looked down either ends- there was a door close, and one farther away, but the closest one had someone banging on it from the inside.

"Hmm, sounds like somebody wants in." She walked to the door and knocked lightly, responding in a sweet voice, "Housekeeping!"

"Lin!" Ryu scolded as he walked up behind her, ready to open the door- he was held off by the catgirl herself. "Just open the door!"

"Haven't you heard of traps?" Lin cleared her throat, and tried again, "Housekeeping!"

"Thank goodness!" A little voice came within, "Yoo must let me out of this confounded box! If yoo do, yoo'll never regret it! Yoo must, Housekeeping!"

"What in the?" Ryu looked at Lin for explanation. He got it when she opened the door, and he found himself staring directly at a little floating creature. It had the figure of a cherub, with the fat baby body and a cute face, but it had skinny arms and legs. It had wings protruding from its light orange hair, flapping so fast they were almost a blur. Over these were wing-shields that had a purple color, with a green circle on top. Two curls of hair framed its forehead, the rest billowing back freely. The creature had no clothes, except for bands around its ankles and wrists. Though Ryu didn't believe he was seeing it, he had to admit it was a faerie! "F...F..."

"Oooh, Thank yoo!" The faerie giggled, "My saviors!"

Nina stared up at the creature, transfixed.

"Right, now, how did you get stuck in here? The door opens if you pull it."

"No it doesn't! Come in and try it yoorself!"

"..." Lin walked in, then shut the door, leaving Ryu and Nina on the other side. The knob turned as she grasped the handle, then she tried to pull, but it refused to budge! Now she tried again, but _pushed _the door open, beyond all explanation. "...What... the?"

"How mysterious, a door that can only be opened and closed by pushing. Well! Yoo saved me, so yoo deserve a reward! Do yoo want your reward now or later?"

"Uhm..." Ryu looked at Lin, "She was the one who opened the door, she deserves it."

"Joint present! Teehee!"

"Alright, we'll take it now. How's that sound, Nina? A present!" Ryu smiled down at her, getting a partial smile back. "Nina says let 'er rip!"

"Okay! Now grit yoor teeth and close yoor eyes, and yoo'll get a **BIG **surprise!"

"...Uh... okay..." Ryu closed his eyes and lightly grit his teeth. Nina followed suit, but kept her mouth closed over her gritted teeth. Lin, on the other hand, leaned against the wall and just stared in silence.

"Well?"

"What's the catch, faerie?"

"No catch! Just fun! Teehee!"

"Right..."

"Close yoor eyes now! Grit yoor teeth!"

"...Fine." Lin grit her teeth... then slowly let her eyelids slide down over her eyes. As soon as she did, she felt an extremely heavy object collide with the back of her head- with a loud yelp, she fell face first onto cement... and blacked out.

"God... fucking... damn it..." She slowly moved her hand to the back of her head which hurt so bad it could've killed a small sheep. However, her hand's path was blocked by another body- with a yelp, she sat upright and found her head had been painstakingly positioned in Ryu's lap, while Nina was out in Lin's. In other words, they were lying in a line on the floor, Ryu on the bottom. Looking around, Lin found the area to be a low cavern, bare rocky walls surrounding them. Though there were no light sources, the area was oddly illuminated, which only meant one thing: "Faeries... Alright, rise and shine, people!"

Both remained still, so Lin carefully peeled herself off Ryu and out from under Nina- she didn't get very far, for she found Nina was holding onto her tail. "Alright, Nina, I know you're conscious, now wake up!"

After the tail was yanked away, Nina woke up with a little yelp. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and let out an odd, raspy sounding yawn, which caused her wings to spread out a little further and then relax. They moved back into their normal position when she stopped yawning, striking the curiosity of Lin. Ignoring her, Nina turned to Ryu and lightly tugged on his jacket.

"Uhnnn... my head..." Ryu slowly sat upright, holding the side of his head, "Who hit me with the frozen tuna...?"

"Teehee! They are kinda cute!"

The party all looked into the cavern's belly and saw three little faeries: the orange-haired one from before, a blue-haired one, and a red-haired one. They were giggling up a storm, knowing they were noticed, slowly drifting over.

"Alright, what's the big idea in clubbing us, eh?" Lin growled, standing up, "And where are we?"

"Welcome to..." The three spoke together, "The faerie colony!"

"Oh joy. Rapture. I think I'm going to puke because of all the excitement."

"Oh no, not PUKING!" The red-haired one turned to the orange-haired one, "Adylla, do they know our policy on puking? It's not allowed, is it, Sokona?"

Sokona, the blue haired one, made a face, "Look at me, I'm the angry puking cat! Blah blah!"

"Now be nice to our guests, Midelo!" Adylla giggled, "But as of now, they have no idea as to why they've been summoned to our colony!"

"None at all! Would yoo like us to tell yoo?"

Ryu glanced among the two other faces in his group, then looked at the faeries and nodded. He figured that while he was probably in a drug-induced dream, he could make the most of it and see how interesting it got.

"Now our story is a long one! We stem from the years when yoo and us and all the other creatures still lived on Earth! Our grandmother's mothers had a lovely colony in the third node near the Telcic isles! Then this big war started, and we just tried to ignore yoo silly humans!" Adylla waved her little hands about while explaining.

"But then we decided things were getting a little too rough so we headed through the main faelines to the center delta, then crossed to the nexus-faerie-circle in Cleewa cavern, which is currently flooded! We intended to go back after yoo were done with the war, but..." Midelo also waved her hands about.

"Yoo broke the faeline back when you built the channel through the Telcic isles!" Sokona nearly cried, "So we couldn't go back home! It wasn't until later that we found the above world had been flooded with poisonous pollution! But our whole system of faelines deteriorated because of the channel and now we can't go home!"

The three humans just _stared_.

"Cleewa cavern, our first underground home, was the start of building new faelines! We had faerie circles and special path crossings all ready to start the system anew! But then yoo silly humans built a channel over Cleewa, forgetting how fragile the roof is! There was lots and lots of water!" Adylla nearly screamed the last part.

"And most of our sisters drowned, the poor things! But we three escaped on the last faeline, which is now destroyed AGAIN because of plumbing issues! So we're stuck here in the newly-named Faefields, which doesn't make much sense, but when we expand to the outside world after we restore faelines..." Sokona smiled brightly!

"But for now we do what we can do with what we got: ANTZ! The antz come for jobs and dig for us, only asking we share the colony with them so they can have little antz families! Oh, that and some zenny to pay the rent, which isn't all that cheap with rising faerie inflation! Do yoo know how much it costs to purchase faeriedust these days?"

"...No..." Ryu blinked.

"Our last Host, or, the person who helped us," Midelo giggled, "Has mysteriously disappeared mysteriously! It is quite a mysterious mystery, one which is curiously curious! Poor Cheryl, poor Cheryl, all she wanted to do was to get rid of that silly number and be known by her name!"

"Cheryl?" Lin thought hard, then asked, "What was her number?"

"One DASH Two-Eight-Six!" All three faeries shouted this at the group.

"Hmm, no, then I don't think I know her."

"Well if you see her, we miss her very much and wish she would come back and share her candy with us!" Adylla sighed, "It is terrible, too, for we are the last three... and unfortunately, sister Sokona has a terrible disease!"

"I do? OH!" Sokona threw a hand onto her forehead, flying crookedly, "I do! Gasp! And we don't have enough zenny to get an operation! My disease is life threatening... and... and time is running out!"

Ryu grew an oh-my-god expression, then suddenly dug in his pouch for the satchel of zenny he picked up from his apartment. "I think I have some- hopefully it'll be enough- here it is- what is it you have?"

"I have... I have..." She let out a dramatic sigh, "Halitosis!"

"Now wait a min-" Lin found her mouth sealed shut with magic in less than a second and screamed in muffled annoyance as she tried to get her lips undone.

"...Halitosis? What... happens if we don't cure it?" Ryu slowly pulled the satchel back, unsettled by the fact they had just sealed his less-than-liked companion's mouth shut.

"Then it spreads to me and her..." Midelo giggled...

"Then the faeries go extinct and it's all your fault!"

"Well... For a good cause, Zeno always said... Here." He held it out to them, smiling as they took it and cheered, "I can't dream of not having faeries for children to believe in."

Nina nodded in sound agreement.

"Teehee! Let us go put it into storage, we'll be right back!" The faeries flitted away, carrying the satchel with them.

Feeling very good with himself, Ryu beamed: he had just probably saved a species from becoming extinct! His happiness was almost radiating off the walls as Lin's mouth became unstuck. With a gasp, she slapped the back of his head. "Ow!"

"You twit, do you even know what halitosis is?"

"...Uh-"

"It's bad breath!"

"What? How do you know?"

"I-" Lin growled, holding her head. Taking a breath, she explained, "I used to be a nurse, and besides, its common knowledge, idiot. They just conned you out of your zenny!"

"...God damn faeries."

"Ah!" Nina pointed at Adylla who came back at a rapid speed.

"Give me back my zenny, you-"

"We lied! We used the money to hire two new antz, but they're just little ones, so be nice! We'll have to figure out how to get more zenny for more ants so we can finish our colony! In repayment, yoo can come back whenever yoo want- GASP! Even better... we could help yoo in day to day life!"

"Yeah, stealing our money?" Lin rolled her eyes, "Like I needed help getting rid of it."

"No, no, silly!" The faerie giggled, "We can find yoo really cool stuff all the way down here! They say this was the lowest part the original underground being dug, so there's secret treasures 'n stuff! If yoo help us develop and grow the faerie colony, we could provide yoo with dinners, cool stuff, and perhaps a place to take a nap!"

"...This actually sounds like a benefit if we're trying to lie low for awhile." Ryu looked at Lin and merely got an eye-roll, then he looked back at the faerie, "We'll help, but only if you promise never to lie to us again. To work together we'll have to be friends, and my friends and I don't lie to each other."

"I won't! Neither will my sisters! Oh, put please keep an eye out for little Cheryl! I brought her favorite piece of art, a self portrait!" Adylla handed a drawing to Nina, who took it and gazed at it. It was a hand drawn, crayon drawing of a girl with orange hair. Clearly drawn by a child, it was out of proportion, but had a big smile... and something odd in the background. She was standing on a green horizon and behind her... was light blue with patches of white. "She's about yoor age, little one, and about as tall as yoo!"

"...May I see that after you, Nina?" Ryu waited until Nina handed it to him, then he looked hard at it. The girl was surrounded by her faerie friends, standing on that backdrop. How hopeful: the girl probably thought that since her faeries existed, so did the Sky, and adding the piece about the want to get rid of the number brought it together.

"What about it?"

Ryu handed it back to Lin, and tried to burn the picture into his memory: Green eyes. Orange hair. This girl had to be found; her soul was far too bright to be lost in the underground world.

When Lin took it, she gazed over the blue background, but then looked at the name and number. Seeing how high it was, Lin grew a frown, slowly touching the girl's image with her free hand. "It isn't fair, is it, sweetheart?"

"...Lin?"

"Hm." Lin shook her head, then handed it back down to Ryu, "We'll keep an eye out for you guys."

"Great! Now, meet our newest team members, Raziol and Fabieen!"

Two little ants, one orange, one blue, walked from the cavern and stopped before everyone, sniffing the air with their antennae. They were little things, looking to just be very young children. They both spoke at the same time, "Hello!"

"Hello!" Ryu grinned, then looked at Nina, "Look, even more friends! More antz for you to be friends with. Do you want to say hello to them?"

Nina got onto her feet and walked to them, staring down, silent. She then sat down in front of them and gave them both big hugs, startling them a bit. Of course, this caused Ryu (and surprisingly Lin) to break out into laughter.

"They've been approved. Now, let's see what kind of work needs to get done!"

"Dying..." Cheryl lied on the floor, in the mingled blood pool, her skin all pale. She had started to shiver, getting a slight chill. Her eyes were slightly blurry as she blankly stared ahead across the room, the gun still in her limp hands. Her left shoulder twitched, the same side where she had been shot through the chest. The girl was having a hard time breathing as her lung was filling with blood, and it was only a matter of minutes before she let go of life. "I... I am... dying..."

Closing her eyes, she could see those faces again: her faeries dancing around her, all laughing and having a good time, swapping stories of the grand Sky above. Then her vision fixed on her adoptive mother's stern gaze, the noblewoman dressed in only the finest.

_"A child of your number doesn't run around in those clothes, nor do they play in the dust! You will have to do better if you are to become a regent!"_

_"But I don't want-"_

_"You want to be a regent! You are lucky you were sorted to this level at birth; if your mother could see you, child, she would say the same thing. Now go and dress properly, and wait patiently for my husband to come home!"_

_"Yes, miss Laila."_

"No... I... d...don't want... I want... the Sky... for... for my friends..."

A pair of feet walked into the doorway, stopping to gaze on the scene.

"Our sky..."


	8. So Very Fragile

The Darkened Sanctum

_VI: "So Very Fragile…"_

Cheryl awoke with a severe pain in her chest, wincing slightly. A hand pressed against her in order to keep her still, signaling her to slowly open her eyes. Squinting due to the pain, she saw a bright light above and the face of a man with glasses on. He had plastic gloves on, and a lab coat, smiling a bit at the girl. Closing her eyes again, still very weak, she sighed.

Then she felt a sharp jab.

Realizing what was going on, her eyes became wide and she gasped- the intense pain was coming from the fact she was being operated on _without anesthesia_, the left side of her chest being dug through. Her scream was silenced with a well-timed placing of the clean, gloved hand over her mouth.

"Cheryl, you're lucky I found you!" He paused in his work, removing a knife, then reached back and found a tennis-ball. Removing his other hand from her mouth, he quickly shoved the ball in its place, muffled screams arising around it. He used his hand to keep her held still as he pulled out some tweezers, "You would've drowned in your own blood if I hadn't, you know… This lung looks rather lost- ah, here it is."

He pulled the bloody bullet out and placed it on a cloth on the cart beside him. Cheryl continued to scream, muffled by that tennis ball that refused to pop out of her mouth.

"I think… we will have to put a bigger filter on this side to equal it all out… or I could simply remove both lungs and put large filters in their places… Better than being lopsided, I suppose. Oh well, we needed a replacement anyhow after that cargo was lost!"

Trying to move her weak limbs, Cheryl made an effort to reach to the cart to get her hands on anything sharp- he moved her hand back effortlessly. He continued to speak calmly, as if talking to a young child, "Now, now, Cheryl… those are for the doctor. While I go find some suitable filters, you will wait here like a good girl."

She screamed louder, eyes widening. He patted her head, pulling out the surgical string and needle, "No, I'm not going to leave you open while I'm gone, let me just sew this up a bit and then I'll help you take a nap. You're not going to get very far with a collapsed lung, though, so you'll have to stay here…"  
As he sewed her skin up, Cheryl could do nothing but start sobbing around that tennis ball, tears falling from her widened, pained eyes. When he was done, he simply patted her head again, then pulled a small bottle and a syringe off the cart, drawing a small amount of fluid… "It'll be okay, trust me, Cheryl!"

"A cafeteria is a good idea… and a small market place, but I seriously doubt you need that dance club."

"Aww, but all the faeries are into techno!" Adylla giggled, having been arguing with Ryu for the past hour, "And antz love to boogie! 'Sides, imagine the zenny we'll rake in! Teehee!"

"But imagine the cost in the first place," Lin sighed, leaning against a wall. She was watching Nina play with Raziol, both running about in a cute game of tag, "Maybe we can compromise… put it in later after the essentials have been put in. As a rule for a living space, you need kitchens with food, bedrooms and bathrooms, a store to keep funds going, and somewhere to just relax. Somewhere cheaper than a dance club."

"Okay, okay," Adylla penciled it in on a little clipboard, "We'll put in a cafeteria, a marketplace, a bunk room, a public bathroom… and… a… lounge! With drinks! Teehee!"

"…Non-alcoholic." Ryu crossed his arms. "We don't need drunken ants and faeries."

"Right, right! Teehee… And we'll keep our eyes out for new ants… oh! And yoo can come whenever yoo want if yoo see one of us around, and if yoo need us… take the faerie whistle!" Adylla pulled a small golden whistle from her hair and handed it to Ryu, "It'll summon the faerie brigade!"

"…Uh… thanks." He pocketed it, then looked to Lin, "Ready to go?"

"I was ready two minutes after we came."

"Uh… Right. Nina! Nina, come on!"

Nina hurried over, ant in tow, staring up at him.

"We've got to go now. Say goodbye to Raziol, but make sure he knows we're coming back!"

Nina turned to the ant and waved good-bye, and he waved good-bye as well. She patted his head and he hurried off to get to work, eager to get started. Looking back up at Ryu, she took hold of his sleeve and waited for further instructions.

"Alright, but…" Ryu rubbed the back of his head, "Can you not knock us out this time?"

"Can do! Let's try the newest faeline and see how it works!"

With an odd 'spurt', the party was pulled from the cavern and wound up back in the metal hallways, though all were now soaking wet. Getting upright, they all wrung themselves out, somewhat confused.

"Water?"

"Must be left over from the channel," Lin smirked as she wrung out her tail, "Let me check the door and we'll see where we can go from there."

She pulled out a card and walked past the two, Ryu helping Nina get dry, heading down the hall. Turning, she reached the door, and a small box that stood from the floor. Popping the card in, she waited, watching the panel. It read the card… then suddenly spit it back out. "Not accepted…? They changed the cards, those little brats!"

"No luck?" Ryu shouted down at her, wringing out his hair.

"No luck. We'll have to go back out and around… damn…" She simply left the card on the ground and walked back, "Sorry about that, guys…"

Nina shook her head, suggesting that it was fine by her. She waited until Ryu had finished getting himself suitably dry, and then took his arm, following along as they left the room. Walking back into the Boroughs, though… she felt something was off and lightly tugged on his sleeve.

"What, Nina?"

She stared up at him rather nervously as they followed Lin.

"There he is, mister beautiful…" A voice jokingly sang it out loud, causing everyone to grind to a halt, all staring at the center of town. Two rangers, with gas masks on, stood with their weapons drawn. The one at the head of the group had his foot on a green tank, "So, now, still glad you killed those guys?"

Ryu suddenly knew what Nina was worrying about; the tank was spewing out a thin cloud of nerve gas. Staring to choke on the foul air, he glanced around and found that they hadn't even cleared the boroughs; innocent people were coughing, or lying on the ground, lungs filling with the noxious chemical. "You bastards, what did…?"

"They told us you've got the power of ten men, so we brought enough gas to down the whole Sector!" The woman in the rear laughed through her mask, "After you're down, we'll be kindly taking that girl there!"

"You can't have her!" Ryu, now starting to feel the effects of the gas, pulled out his blade. "Lin, bring Nina to higher grounds!"

"But I can't leave-"

"Do it!"

Lin suddenly caught up the coughing Nina, and took off at a high speed for the stairs to the higher levels of town. Nina was fighting under her arm, but the woman was more than able to keep her under control, "This is the best we can do for you, Nina! Behave!"

"Look, the hero wants a fight…" The man in the lead suddenly charged forward, swinging the blade down, "Let's give him the fight of his life!"

Blades connecting, Ryu held off the ranger's blow, and then swung his blade out from under- thrusting it forward, he managed to barely pierce his armor; he rolled out of the way from another slice, now coughing. Looking up, as his field of vision wavered, he dodged out of the way from the woman's weapon. When he stumbled back, he almost fell over, his head becoming light.

_Destroy them!_

Ryu winced, intense heat welling up inside of him as the two came charging.

_Tear them apart!_

Dropping to his knees, the black-and-red pattern engulfed his body, the heat growing.

_Send them to eternal silence!_

With a sudden scream, right as they came up to him, he burst into flames.

They brought their swords down on his figure at the same time, but the blades refused to cut through heavy scales. Startled, the woman was suddenly caught up by huge claws, blood-red eyes staring at her.

"MILO, HELP!" She screamed as her partner began to back up in fear. Eyes growing ever wider, she let out a final piercing scream as her body was snapped in half. Ryu took good aim at the backing up ranger, then chucked the dead body at him as hard as he could, knocking the man over. Quickly gliding over, he effortlessly drove his claws down through the woman in order to kill the man, both dead in a pile. With a loud, victorious roar, Ryu exploded into flame, then collapsed to his knees, figure back to normal.

Wheezing for air, the painful heat lingered in his throat, from both body and the gas in the air; looking up, he stumbled upright, vision fading, heading for the tank. Upon reaching it, he found the nozzle had been ripped off by the rangers… with a final cough, he slowly fell onto his face, lying on the ground.

Having seen the entire scene, Nina suddenly let out a loud yelp and fought to get away from Lin with all of her power.

"Nina, hold sti- Nina!" Lin stumbled back as Nina separated from her, moving forward a step. But she didn't follow, instead, Lin helplessly watched Nina hurry down the concrete stairs.

The air around Nina was noxious, causing her to cough- heading through the thickening clouds, she reached Ryu and dropped to her knees before him. Resting her hands on his back, she whimpered as he was entirely unresponsive; glancing around, she saw the townspeople in the exact same state. Closing her eyes, she let out a long exhale, clearing all oxygen from her lungs.

Focusing, she began drawing in air- not through her nose or mouth, but through those blood-red, winglike extensions. They began to glow as the air was pulled in with a huge amount of force, the gas swirling up and being absorbed. The tank was quickly emptied in the suction, all of it going straight into those wings. The air, now free of any impurities, became still…

…With her breathing shutting off, Nina fell onto Ryu, lying like the rest of the people across the cold ground. Underneath her, Ryu was breathing, body slowly recovering from the gas…

Staring down in disbelief, Lin remained still for some time, not a part of her moving. Quietly heading down the stairs, she found the air to be so clean it felt soothing in her lungs; heading to the two, she kneeled down and took Nina's pulse.

"Still alive…"

Moving Nina aside gently, Lin hauled Ryu over a shoulder. Focusing, she then picked up Nina and put her over the other shoulder. Staggering upright, and focusing all her strength, the terrorist slowly headed to the doors leading back to the metal hall, kicking the door in and slowly setting them down in the hall. Moving back outside, she walked to the dead rangers, and slowly picked up a small I.D. card.

"…" Shaking her head with a sigh, Lin turned and headed back into the hall, taking a seat on the cold floors beside the two companions.

"…" Only slightly feeling the effects of the injection, Cheryl waited until the scientist had gone. Slowly rolling off the chair, she hit the floor hard, the side of her face connecting with the cold surface, enough to send the tennis ball flying out of her mouth. Gasping for air, she dragged herself onto her knees and crawled to the door, prying it open. Dragging herself upright on the door's handle, Cheryl began slowly stumbling to the doorway that seemed to shift.

Wheezing, she reached the door, which opened by itself, then collapsed to her knees in the frame. Coughing, blood spattered across the floor, mixed with thick saliva. She wiped her mouth off on the back of her hand, which was slightly stained red as she pushed herself back up. Disoriented, she looked down both ends of the hall, then started down the left side.

If anyone was more determined to live, nobody had seen it: feeling her lung filling with liquid, she forced herself to keep moving down to the door, which opened for her. Feeling like collapsing, she found the room was full of tanks, most of which had been broken… stumbling to one tank, she slowly pulled herself up and over the broken plastic shell, falling in, landing in an odd position. Normally, she wouldn't have done it, but her body commanded sleep… letting her lids fall shut, she quickly blanked out into well-deserved peace.

"She's doing quite well… far too well… there's something about that one…" The council room had been emptied, the man with the glowing patterns still hanging about the center of the room. He was staring off into space, looking past the walls, clearly able to see Cheryl in his mind's eye. Then his visions shifted, so he could clearly see Ryu, Nina, and Lin in the hallway. "So is he… this is unsettling…"

"Then maybe…" A voice suddenly entered the hall- Cupid slowly walked in, clipboard tucked under his arm, Rasta sitting on his shoulder, "It is time for us to step in?"

"No, it is still the mortal peoples' problem… so far our dragon just seems to be lucky. But that man's body will not last, not by a long shot."

"What about… the girl?"

"What about her? She's dying as we speak."

"…she seems to be very strong, both in body and soul," Cupid stared at the back of the man's head, "Elyon, you're worried about her. Why are you watching her as closely as the others?"

"She merely strikes my curiosity. Unless she comes across another, nothing should happen, but I am concerned how much of a target she would be for another dragon… Her number, though reaching the limit, is too low… her body will fall apart if she is accepted."

"…You're pitying the child, aren't you?"

Elyon stood silent, mind's eye refocusing on the slumbering girl. How brightly her soul burned in the underground world! "No… merely curiosity. Did you get my message delivered?"

"Yes…"

"Then you're free until I call. Keep your sights open- tell us if you see something further."

"Yes, sir." Cupid turned, heading down the hall, letting out a deep sigh. "Don't spend too long focused on that girl, sir… she… her flame is flickering, and one final breeze will blow it out."

The council room became deathly silent, Elyon just gazing…

Eyes slowly opening, Ryu found himself gazing up at a worried face. Her blonde hair draped off her soft expression, eyes filled with concern. Growing a slight smile, Ryu slowly reached up and touched the side of her face; she took a hold of his arm and let out a relieved sigh. Also letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes, then slowly sat upright, smiling brighter at Nina. "Hey… we made it…"

"You're lucky…" Lin was staring at the card she had swiped.

"What… Lin?" He looked around- the metal hallway again. "…man… I barely…"

"You did it again. Two in less than two minutes."

"…" Ryu slowly looked down at the floor, pulling his arm gently from Nina. As he tried to remember, he felt a sharp pulse through his body. Wincing a bit, he looked back at Lin, "What… happened?"

"…You went out, and Nina went to you. I had to carry you here. I've been waiting for at least an hour for you to wake up."

"…Thank you…" Ryu let out a sigh, "…I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything."

"Hmph. You can't change what's already been done."

"I suppose… Nina, are you okay?"

She nodded, although as she moved, thick dust came drifting off her wings.

"Are you well enough to walk, Ryu? I got a card from those rangers… they are new issues of that card I had before. We should be able to get through the door this time."

"I think so…" He slowly moved upright, slightly dizzy. Regaining his stability, he helped Nina up, "Yeah. Lead the way."

"Shout if you still need a break, buddy- you look like shit." Lin rose, and then walked down the hall to the doorway with the card reader before it. Slipping it in, she waited as it read it… then the door slid open and the card was slid back out. Taking it and tucking it away, she looked back with a faint smile of success, "We're in!"

"What… do you mean… he got away AGAIN?"

"I… I mean…" Bosch was _pale_, standing before Zeno who looked ready to burst a vein. "Well, t-they used the nerve gas… but…"

"Do you know how lethal that stuff can be? I expect seventy-percent of the local population to be entered into intensive care! Are you SURE they saw somebody take him away?"

"Y-yes ma'am, to the storage areas…"

"…This is why, when ordering those below you, Bosch," She smirked a bit, "Why you send yourself in to make a job gets done right. Since you are… incompetent in completing my orders… it leaves me with no other choice."

Bosch stared, white as a sheet.

"Round up the first-rank rangers and meet me with them in the office room." Zeno got upright and walked to a closet, pulling out a key and unlocking it, "You will assemble with the rest of them and follow my orders exactly… or I will send inquiry to the regents about how to take you down a few numbers."

"Y-yes ma'am!" Shaking, he saluted and slowly left, his whole world falling apart around him. This time… he couldn't fail- with due speed, he took off to gather any high-ranking ranger that was still alive.

Pulling out two sheathed blades, Zeno let out a sigh as she pushed the locker shut. "Ryu… I didn't want to do this… but you leave us no choice. Where ever you are… it'll be an honor to face you."


	9. Torn Heartstrings

1The Darkened Sanctum

_VII: "Torn Heartstrings..."_

Led by Lin, the party of three staggered on through the door and down into a large, open room. None of them knew there were eyes fixed on them from behind the boxes and trash piles, until Lin picked up a faint ringing.

"Wait. Can you hear that?"

"...No..." Ryu looked at Lin, speaking quietly, "What is it?"

"The sound of an electronic... the ringing. There's something else in here..."

Nina could hear it too, and she pulled closer to Ryu, trembling a little as they slowly walked into the center of the room. They were about to continue when she came to a halt with a yelp, catching glimpse of a figure behind a crate- Rangers suddenly came out of the scenery and surrounded the group.

"At least you're easy to corner," One man scoffed from the rear, sword in hand, "Surrender now or face the punishment of death!"

"..." Ryu looked around with a pathetic look smeared on his face- he could see Lin in her usual combat stance, gun held out, moving it to anybody that even wavered a centimeter. He then looked down at the trembling Nina, who was slowly moving her plumbing-fixture rod into her right hand. Letting off a sigh, he drew his sword, "You will let us through! We don't want to harm you!"

"Yeah right!" A man behind a plexiglass shield yelled, "You killed my daughter, you freak! Snapped her in half like a twig- as if we're letting you get away with-"

"Don't get emotional."

Ryu gasped, looking over his shoulder- there stood Captain Zeno, behind her, Bosch. She lightly pushed her glasses up her nose, then looked straight at him with a stern look, "Ryu, I apologize for meeting like this... but something must be done. You... what you've become... we can get you treatment..."

"Captain, please!" Ryu nearly begged, "We just... I just have to get Nina somewhere safe..."

"I... apologize... But if you will not come willingly, I fear I will have to command them to attack. You are not in your right mind- please, Ryu, come back to us... we can cure you..."

"No..." He shook his head, "No, I'm not sick... Please..."

"As you must." Zeno suddenly waved her arm in the air, "Move in! Bring him down, but don't kill him! Spare the small one, the one with the tail is not of our concern!"

"Hmph! I'll one-with-the-tail you!" Lin loaded her gun and fired a single shot- a guard right beside Zeno collapsed with a yelp as a hole appeared straight through his head, but the captain didn't move. This set things into motion- the group came charging upon the three- Lin quickly took off, around a trash pile, avoiding shots fired at her.

"...!" Nina watched as the soldiers came charging, then suddenly swung her staff up and back down, causing the area in front of her to turn into an inferno, the yelps of the injured foes rising with the flames. With the greatest speed she could muster, her rod was twirling and curving all through the air until she was surrounded by flame that acted like a shield.

In the meantime, Ryu had been tackled to the floor, and was under a pile of men who did their best to keep him pinned. Struggling, he could barely see the one at the top getting an injection ready- slamming his eyes shut, he tried as best he could with all his strength to throw them off...

_Mere bugs... crush them!_

"Unngh!" Ryu winced, causing the people to get him completely pinned.

_Tear them to shreds, child!_

Before they could get their arms in to inject the tranquilizer, a huge amount of heat came from Ryu.

_Show them your pain!_

With a loud scream, Ryu burst into flames, severely injuring those directly on top of him- the rest hardly had a chance to run when his clawed arm cast them aside like dolls. By this time, he noticed Nina's fire spell was wearing out, and three men were closing in on her as she trembled in fear- shooting over, gliding above the floor, he brought his claws down through the head of the first one, and in the same move, hit the second one with a talon, knocking him into the third- with a snarl, he moved in front of Nina who collapsed to her knees, ready to destroy anything that came close.

Nina herself could barely breathe, from the smoke caused by her fire circle to the dust in the air- she didn't know Ryu was in front of her, keeping her safe- she was collapsed on her knees, leaning against her staff, wheezing for air...

"Where'd she go?"

Lin appeared from behind a trash pile and shot a man through the back of the neck, disappearing before they could get to her. Running up the pile, she then aimed down and shot one straight through the skull- leaping down, she ran past a man who swung down his sword- barely getting a scrape on her face, she skid to a halt, turned around swiftly, and shot him through the chest.

All this time Zeno and Bosch had been observing- the captain had her usual cool look on, calmly looking across the carnage. Bosch, however, was another story: dripping with frightened sweat, he was slowly shuffling back for the doors, thinking of nothing but how to escape. Zeno looked back, frowning a bit, and he was forced to move closer, shakily holding onto his blade.

Looking back ahead, she was finally surprised to see how many people had actually fallen since the flames cleared- she also got her first chance to gaze upon the demonic creature Ryu had become. Realizing it was now or never, she pulled out a blade from a sheath, then another, then called into the fight: "I know not if you are in your senses, Ryu, but you leave me with no choice! Prepare yourself!"

"Captain, don't go!" Bosch yelped as she ran into the fight, watching helplessly as Ryu slowly backed up... An intense heat stung Bosch's eyes as he stumbled back, the entire field a glowing mass of heat- continuing to back up, he had his arm over his forehead to shield his eyes. As the fiery blast cleared, he dropped his sword, finding every single one of the fighters had been reduced to mere bloodstains and burnt shadows on the floor.

Lin had collapsed onto her rear end in pure, horrified shock, while Nina continued to fight to catch her breath. Ryu, panting, still in dragon form, slowly moved his gaze onto Bosch, the last remaining target in the room.

"What...what did... you do to captain..." Bosch started to back away, leaving his sword behind, "You... you freak... you bastard! You... you..."

Ryu let out a loud snarl, enough to send the man fleeing back to the boroughs. Collapsing into his knees, setting aflame at the same time, Ryu reformed into his normal figure, wheezing painfully. Faint drops of blood came from his mouth, his head pounding.

"Ohmigod-" Lin suddenly crawled over to him, "Are you okay?"

He swallowed hard, then moved himself away from her. There was a pulse... a separate beat pumping through his body, challenging his heart. There was a faint ringing in his ears- with a deep breath, he let his head hang, then spoke darkly, "Who are you?"

_Odjn._

"Why are you here? What are you doing to me...?"

_You are my chosen... you are the 1,000 year world destroyer..._

_You will destroy this world and reach the sky!_

"What are you doing to my body...?"

_You will understand through the pain..._

Lin watched in silence, unsure of what to do. She then refocused on the person she could help- moving to Nina, she patted her back, "Hey... are you okay?"

Nina nodded, letting out a sigh.

"Good... hey... uhm..." Lin spoke softly to Nina, looking at Ryu, "Ryu isn't feeling very well right now, so we need- Nina!"

Nina was instantly crawling over to him, and when reaching his crouched figure, she latched on into a big hug. Slightly surprised, Ryu sat up, Nina shifting in order to keep him in a tight embrace. Swallowing sharply, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers.

"It's okay... I'm fine..."

She kept her eyes closed, burying her face into his chest.

"It'll be okay, Nina..."

Lin stared at the scene, letting out a sigh and falling into a relaxed, seated position. All around her were the crimson-coated shadows burnt into the cement floors, a few weapons here and there. One that escaped the powerful blast was one of Zeno's swords, the gleaming metal reflecting the dull colors. Shaking her head, she let out a second sigh, slowly taking her knees into a hug. Her tail wrapped around her figure, end resting gently against the still-warm floor.

"I have seen worse than this..." She thought to herself, silent, "Why am I so scared now?"

"Lin... you okay?"

"Huh? What? Oh... oh yeah..." She relaxed, tail straightening out, "I was just waiting for you guys..."

"..." Ryu let out a sigh... His eyes wearily gazed over the scenery, staring at the red marks across the floor. His attention was caught by the sword- separating from Nina and Lin, he walked to it and stared down. Picking up the blade, he stared at it with a sense of nostalgia... His mentor... one of his best friends... gone in a second of senseless rage. Closing his eyes, a few tears threatened to come out, but he forced them back, then pulled out his own blade. Tossing it onto the floor, he put the silver, mid-weight blade into his sheath, holding onto the hilt for a moment. "...I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't..."

"We'll have to get moving soon. By now, news of us has to have been sent to the regency."

"...Right..." He looked back, "Ready to go?"

Lin got up, then walked with Nina in silence to Ryu, slowly moving into the lead as the party left the open room, heading down a very dry hall. The complex seemed to echo silence; it was so loud that it rang in their ears, threatening to eat any noise uttered within the metal walls. As they were walking, Nina began slowing down, still not entirely recovered. She started to cough, coming to a halt, covering her mouth as she did.

"Nina?" Ryu looked back, coming to a halt, "Are you okay?"

She continued to cough, then slowly sunk down to her knees.

"Nina!" He moved to her, kneeling down, "Nina..."

"Ryu..."

He looked up at Lin, looking concerned.

"When... when we were in the boroughs... and when Nina came down to you... something happened. She drew in the air around her... it was the cleanest, purest air I had ever breathed in my life."

"..." He looked back to Nina, "Bless you..."

Nina let out a cough, but gave a smile anyhow.

"...she took all of the gas with her, Ryu."

"!" Ryu blinked in disbelief, then understood clearly: "We've got to get that stuff out of her- there had to have been enough to bring down the entire Midsector!"

"...Normally, I wouldn't suggest it... but she was being shipped out of BioCorps labs- they might know how to help her, as dark as it sounds... we'll find answers to any questions there as well."

Nina shook her head at this name, starting to tremble a bit.

"We'd never leave you there, never again, Nina..." Ryu patted her head some, "Come on, we'll go- and leave- together. Right, Lin?"

She let out a sigh. "Right."

"We'll wait as long as you need, okay? Just concentrate on feeling better."

"I'll... go ahead," Lin smiled a bit, "...I'll come back and tell you what it looks like from here."

"Alright..."

Lin headed through the door, pulling it shut with her tail. Moving away from the door, she made sure there was silence, then pulled out a small compact mirror, then flipped it open- the inside had the usual mirror, but the bottom half had a small speaker and small buttons- popping in a few numbers, she brought it up close to her face and waited.

"You're connected. How are things, Lin?"

"I think I'm on drugs."

"...What?"

"No, I mean..." Lin sighed, "I've got the shipment with me, but there's a complication... there's this guy..."

"...Lin... you'll have to contact me later, there is someone waiting outside the door. It is a short meeting, so try again in about half an hour. Keep yourself in one piece- you are the most valuable talent Trinity has available. Whatever you do, however, make sure that girl stays in more pieces than yourself."

"...Yes sir." She closed the compact, grumbling a bit. Tucking it away, she let out a sigh, regained her stature, then opened the door, peeking in the hall. "Ready, guys? It'll be a bit of a walk, but nothing too serious, I believe. We can always stop on the way!"

"We're coming!" Ryu helped Nina to the door, smiling a bit, "Thank you, Lin..."

"Hmph. I'm not doing this for you!"

Bosch had fled back to the Boroughs, and had headed up to his large apartment- about the size of three normal, closet-sized apartments stuck together. The door had been closed and locked shut, and he was kneeling before his bed, face pressed against the blankets, his whole body shaking. Not a few minutes ago had he been emptying the contents of his stomach into his private bathroom- pale and trembling, all he could think of was how his world was coming down.

"S-so close... I c-could've been... been Regent..."

Faint memories of that face... smiling... laughing... they filled his mind's eye.

"No! No... he's... no..."

Visions of those blood-red eyes and billowing flames took over.

"What... is he...?" Holding his head, he let out a faint whimper, "He's going to destroy- no! No... no... there must be a way... Fight fire with fire... fight fire with... There must be a way... there must be..."

Letting out a long sigh, Bosch forced himself to come back to his senses. "There must be a way to get that power from him... or to... get power alike him... I can't let Father down... no... I'll prove it... that I can take on anything- if I destroy Ryu, then those fools in the regency will have to take me in! There must be a way- yes... yes, there is a way!"

He started laughing to himself, his sanity being shredded as he did, "It's easy... I know right where to look..."

Obnoxious laughter filled the room, the man shedding tears as he did. Unable to do anything else, he laughed, laughing until he collapsed in exhaustion.


	10. Bitter Truth

1The Darkened Sanctum

_VIII: "Bitter Truth…"_

The storage area shared the same aura as most of the underground: dark, empty, and full of dead silence. The only sounds were the breaths of the traveling party, stepping around boxes and kicking up the dust. Occasional coughs rose from Nina's throat, only momentarily destroying the silence. The silence was unnatural- a heavy, deep paranoia was set in everybody's mind. But nobody dared to kill the lingering silence that sunk its fangs into sanity like a snake.

Opening a door, Lin stumbled back just as a blood-covered dead body slumped into the doorway, eyes gazing lifelessly through the wall. "Well, hello!"

"A ranger…" Ryu looked across the body, keeping the frightened Nina near. He thought it looked like somebody had stabbed him… or rather… "Somebody drove a giant nail through him…"

"Eurrgh… There's more!" Lin stepped into the mid-sized room. Dead bodies were strewn about, blood stained against the walls and floors. Slowly drawing her gun, she could hear faint snickering, "And somebody thinks it's quite a joke…"

Ryu lifted Nina over the body, and then walked with her behind Lin, around more fallen rangers. The room was filled from corner to corner with messily slaughtered people, though it looked like none of them had the chance to struggle. Nina was clinging tightly to Ryu the entire trip, and he really didn't blame her- he was just as glad to have her there as she was glad for him.

"Kekeke…"

Everyone froze, staring across the room at a lanky man. Wearing a government-issued jacket for rangers, in dark and grungy colors, the masked man had two bloody railroad spikes in his hands. His covered face was staring straight at them as he laughed darkly, "There they are… the little actors in this play…"

"Who… are you?" Ryu glared at the man, anger slowly building…

"Tantra, at your service… too long you've hogged the stage… now its my turn for divine intervention! Kekeke, I'll bring the curtain down for all of you…"

"Why does it seem everybody wants me to DIE today?" Lin whipped out her gun and fired, but missed, "The fight is on! Move!"

Ryu barely heard the words when the spike came flying at him- rolling out of the way with Nina in his arms; he barely had time to put the girl in a safe location before Tantra was at him again. Stumbling back, Ryu pulled out the silver blade that once belonged to Zeno and brought the blade down on the man, missing terribly.

"Kekeke, this is so amusing!" Tantra's attention shifted to Lin who had moved behind a crate and was about to take aim- running after her, she couldn't dodge- with one quick move, he drove one of the spikes through her tail and stomped on it, pinning her to the ground, causing her to scream, "Don't move, kitty kitty!"

"BASTARD!" She suddenly fired straight at his head, taking a chunk of his scalp off before he flipped out a new spike and moved to put it through her chest- Ryu swept by and gashed the man's face with his blade, knocking Tantra completely over. Still in pain, Lin managed to squeak out: "T-thanks!"

Nina stepped in and swung her rod about, and brought a bolt of lighting, then another, followed by another upon the man. She continued the onslaught until she was exhausted, admittedly VERY angry that he hurt one of her friends. When she was finished, the smell of burning flesh was filling the room.

"I-is he down?" Lin dropped to her knees and grasped the spike- pulling with a wet yank, she winced as she tossed it aside and stared in disbelief as she could see straight through her tail.

"…" Ryu slowly came over, but didn't let his guard down; looking over the man, he had stopped breathing and looked quite dead, but still wary, he didn't take a pulse. "Who knows? At least he isn't in any condition to follow- are you okay?"

"Yeah…" She pulled out a length of bandage from a pouch and bit the end off with her teeth- wrapping it very tightly around her tail's wound, she tied it into a knot and then got upright. Her tail curled into a sideways 'U', twitching painfully, "You wouldn't BELIEVE how painful that is!"

"I can't imagine… Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh yeah… I've had worse." She shrugged, "The shock is the worst part, but I'm over it. Nina, you okay?"

She nodded.

"Great job, by the way- you really showed him who's boss!" Lin gave the girl a thumbs-up, and then added, "Let's leave now before he comes back around, whattya say?"

Nina nodded, then took Ryu's arm and started off with him. As they walked to the second door, she couldn't help but stare over her shoulder at the man- she knew he was still alive. She only looked away as they passed through the doorway, which closed behind her…

"Kekeke…" The man twitched, then broke out into demonic laughter, "HAHAHAHA!"

"…" Ryu couldn't help but notice as they walked through the narrow hall that Lin's bandage was slowly turning red. Concerned, he spoke up, "Uh… you sure you're okay?"

"You know… if I say no, then I'll have to stop… but if I keep telling you… and myself 'yes', I'll be able to continue. I'm in a hurry, after all: I'm still on the clock as we speak!"

"…Yeah, I guess…"

Lin pushed the door open with the back of her arm casually, facing the two, "Yeah, you guess, but do you ever know? You'll have to make clear answers eventu- AAAIGH!"

"Lin!" Ryu whipped out his sword, "What is it?"

She spun around and found that SOMETHING had bitten her tail- it was a tall creature, taller than anyone in the party. It was built with bulk; its gray skin was stretched around its body, figure being heavyset. Instead of regular arms, it had black weights running up and down its limbs as a form of weaponry. An iron mask with horns was worn on its round head, but beneath the shadow was a _human face_. It let out a dark laugh, body shaking.

"Beats the SHIT out of me what it is- hey!" Lin rolled out of the way of a swinging fist, "God damn it, ANOTHER person who wants me dead!"

Actually letting out an annoyed sigh, Ryu leaped forward as the creature had to regain its balance, then drove his sword through a shoulder- leaping back, he narrowly avoided the weights as the arm swung at him. The creature let out a groan when a shot was fired and imbedded in its back, then it seemed to be gathering energy.

"Stay away from it! Keep your distance!" Ryu quickly moved away, pulling Nina with him- as soon as he let her go, he watched as she started to skillfully swing that staff up and down. As the creature was hit with the long-distance lightning, Ryu was worried as there wasn't an effect- "Nina, stop it for a minute!"

"Uhm…" She literally uttered the noise as she brought her staff down, backing up behind Ryu quietly. With a yelp, she brought her staff down in another swing, creating an ice wall before Ryu that took a supercharged punch, shattering into a thousand pieces.

"Woah!" Hopping out of the way of the angry beast, he managed to slice its left arm completely off, which fell to the floor with a loud clang. As it roared in pain, he ran around to the other side and was about to shear it off when the arm came swinging back, connecting with the side of his face. Sent flying, Ryu hit the floor hard a distance away and went still.

"AH!" Nina nearly screamed, then actually ran up to the monster and began _beating it so severely it started to scream_ with her rod, putting several dents in it. The metal object came up and down relentlessly as she beat the thing senseless, weird noises pouring out of her mouth. By the time she was done, the iron mask had caved in around its head. Panting, she met Lin who was kneeling beside Ryu.

"Ryu! Ryu, wake up!" Lin shook him by his shoulders, "Up and at 'em, ranger, time to seize the day!"

Head pounding, he opened his eyes and slowly sat upright. "Holy…"

"I'm surprised you're conscious- that hit could've killed you! Are you alright?"

"I feel a bit dizzy…"

"You need a place to lie down… come on," She pulled him up but forced him to lean on her shoulder, and was slightly amused to find a Nina trying to support Ryu's other side, "We're just a little walk away from the labs… maybe we can call a faerie just outside it. But for now with the luck we've had today the best thing to do is leave, okay?"

"Yeah…" His vision was blurry and trembling, and he slowly shuffled along, as Lin started moving. He did notice Nina was trying to help, who was holding his arm up in an order to keep him upright. Ryu would've smiled if he could; his head hurt so much that blinking was painful.

"Kekeke, hello, kiddies!"

"AIGH!" Lin jumped as she came into the next room, still supporting Ryu, "You FREAK! You should be DEAD!"

"Can't get revenge when I've kicked the bucket… kekeke… besides, it wasn't nice to whack my friend, you know, and not die yourself… kekeke…" Tantra was still wounded, but seemed fine otherwise, "But it DOES help me, actually, so thank you!"

"Why won't you guys leave us the HELL alone? Our record by now should make women FAINT!"

"Because, stupid… this is my job! Kekeke, and now it can be easier! The soul of my fallen comrade… come to me!" Tantra spread his arms out, a huge amount of magical power filling the room- a glowing orb of light came drifting through the wall and connected with the man, causing his wounds to heal over in an instant. Whipping out his railroad spikes, he bellowed, "Come at me, pathetic bugs!"

"Holy shit…" Lin looked around, and quickly stashed Ryu behind a crate- moving away, she stashed the trembling Nina behind another- moving to the middle, she prepared to single-handedly fend off the fiend.

"Leeeetle kitten…" The man started to stagger forward, "I suppose you need more than a tail tug to scare you off, eh? Leeeeeeeetle kitten…!"

"Freak!" Lin fired off a round at the man and reloaded, then fired again- she managed to hit him in the neck, so he was now oozing blood, but he continued to stumble forward. "Die already!"

"I don't take requests! Kekeke!"

"I don't care!" Lin dodged a swing of a spike and elbowed the man in the back of the head with no effect but Lin hurting herself on a pin that stuck out of the man. She barely missed another swing, then shot the man in the leg before moving away. He seemed to ignore the wound and took the opportunity to charge at Nina- she promptly blew him up with a fire spell, and moved away.

"Brats…" He stumbled out of the fire, scorched, but scarily quite alive. He dodged a stray bullet, then focused on Lin who was standing before the resting Ryu. Charging over, the crazed man swept his arm up high and was prepared to bring it down.

Before he could, Lin had managed to force her gun up under his chin and fired- with a spurt of blood, the man limply fell forward, blood streaming from his scalp and chin. Lin shoved him off with a shudder, then promptly shot him through the back of his head twice to make sure he remained dead. Leaning against the wall, she panted, glad the mess was over with.

Nina came tiptoeing around Tantra's body in an order to keep a close eye on Ryu who was still resting, his eyes closed. She even squeezed around Lin in order to sit down beside him, letting out a few worried sighs.

"Alright..." Lin caught her breath, "Everyone all in one piece?"

"Yeah..." Ryu murmured a bit, his head still pounding.

Nina nodded up at Lin.

"Good. Now we've got to find a bed for Ryu and take a break for awhile... Hopefully now we'll get a fuckin' break..." Lin bent down, pulling Ryu's arm around her shoulder, helping him upright while keeping him supported, "Come on, Nina, you'll have to help me take care of him."

She nodded, rising, taking his free arm. The party then went slowly staggering across a raised pathway, to a door with a card-reader. Popping in the card, Lin waited until the door slid open and carefully took the plastic slip back, heading through very slowly with her injured companion.

"There she is!"

"Uhnn..." Cheryl opened her eyes slowly, barely there, vision falling upon that smiling, glasses-wearing face. With a scream, she tried to back away, but wound up falling out of the broken tank and onto the floor with a thud. When she connected with the floor, she spit up a small amount of blood, wincing.

"You'll HAVE to let me finish operating on you, Cheryl! It won't do to have you die, no matter who you are in this conversation." He walked over and picked the limp girl up, heading back through the door and down the hall. Turning into the operating room, he walked through the separated section and placed Cheryl across the bed. "Lucky for you, I found some freshly-cultured filters that work with your bloodtype."

"FREAK!" She screamed, a faint amount of blood rolling from her mouth as she watched him reach for the tennis ball, "BASTARD!"

"Awful big words, eh? I'll fix that after the operation," He shoved the ball in and made sure it would stay in place in her mouth, "There are other ways to communicate besides words..."

Cheryl watched, trembling, as he moved to a recently-brought in cart that had a big metal case on it. The man lifted the lid, revealing that on the inside, it was lined with ice and a plastic sheet, and on top of that were two large, wing-like appendages, clearly freshly severed from whatever host grew it. They were still attached to their original lungs, the extensions a freakishly large mutation that were intended to be threaded out through Cheryl's back. The man, still smiling, picked up a scalpel, then pulled the cart closer, "Let's get rid of that collapsed lung first, shall we?"

"We made it..." Lin continued walking slowly, through the first BioCorp hallway, smiling a bit at Ryu, "Come on, let's take a break here. I should figure out the layout of this place before we continue anyhow."

"Okay..." Ryu let himself be put into a seated position against a wall. He glanced over to see Nina faithfully sitting beside him, staring at him with a look of concern. Glancing back up, he watched Lin take off down the hall, "Be careful..."

"I will..."

Heading through the door, she grew a new demeanor; now with a look of serious intent, she turned into a room full of laboratory equipment. There was a door to the rear labeled 'Storage/Maintenance 3-A', her target. It was locked tight, but she pulled out a small pin from her belt and promptly picked the lock. Pulling out her compact mirror, she stepped in, slowly gazing across the room.

It was lined with tanks, filled with clear liquids, a few of them holding bodies. She ground to a halt when she finally caught glimpse of one of the figures, face slowly turning green. In the tank, floating silently, was the body of a young, female human, with wing-extensions barely poking out of its back. The immature extensions were curled up; the most disturbing was the fact that though the body was of a preteen, the head was still in its fetal stage. Bubbles rose around the lifeless figure, caressing the pale flesh until they reached the top of the fluid. Slowly gazing to the side of the room, she was horrified to see one lying across a metal table, having been torn open and left exposed.

"Lin? Did you dial?"

She slowly pulled the compact up to her face, then murmured, "Yes I did, sir."

"Sorry for making you wait... Lin... are you okay?"

Insides starting to tremble, she looked up and down the room and noticed a trash bin. Swallowing hard, she managed to warble, "Excuse me a minute, sir, my breakfast is coming for a second visit."

Her boss blinked as the sounds of heavy vomiting were clearly heard through the intercom. He waited very patiently until it sounded that she was as done as she could be, then asked once more, "Are you okay?"

"Now I am..." She panted, wiping off her face, "This place is... is..."

"I understand. So they are continuing on the project. Have you gotten the original in your hands?"

"Yes sir, but there is this other guy I can't get rid of. I would just shoot him if he didn't... do what he does. He goes berserk and totally-"

"I know."

"...But it'll take me a little longer to get back, sir, we're being hunted by every single person I've seen in the past three hours. I am dissapointed to report it seems one of the... bodies... has been taken out and torn open-"

"Torn open?" With a sense of urgency, the man suddenly turned to the speaker, "Lin- he's making another one! I order you to instantly disconnect and take your party with you to find out where that man is- we can't have another one in his hands. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Now go, with all urgency!"

Lin clicked the compact shut as she tore out of the room- pausing, she backed up, then reached around to the doorhandle on the other side and clicked the lock, pulling the door shut. She couldn't imagine how enraged Ryu would've gotten were he to see something that disgusting. Taking off in a dash, she went back down the hall where Ryu and Nina sat.

"Lin, how does it-"

"Listen, we've got a bit of an emergency on our hands," She ran over then pulled him up, keeping him steady- she roughly pulled Nina up with her free hand and started running the two down the hall, "We HAVE to find the local researcher and QUICK!"

"W-woah!" Ryu separated from Lin but managed to keep up, even if his head was sore- he picked up the stumbling Nina and ran with her, just behind Lin. "What is going on?"

Through the door, Lin skid to a halt in the junction- ahead was another door, and to the right was an open one- turning to the right, she ran into the small, dark room, staring through the pane of glass in disgust. Pulling out her gun, she fired at the window, causing it to violently shatter and grab the attention of the labcoat-wearing man.

"What...?" He looked back, adjusting his glasses, "There is a door..."

Ryu came in, setting the slightly shaken Nina down, staring in slight confusion; Nina, as soon as looking up, let out a whimper and started backing away, shaking her head. Noticing this, Ryu slowly started to glare at the man, "..."

"Nina! You FOUND it!" He swiftly left the table, leaving Cheryl lying there, who was still VERY awake, staring at the party and trembling. Lin and Ryu let out gasps; the man simply continued over to the trembling Nina. "Where have you been all this time? Oh!"

He placed a hand on her forehead, causing her to tremble, then looked back at her wings; dragging a hand across them, he found his gloves to be coated in dust. "...What's this...? How did the filters get so filthy?"

Moving his shocked gaze back to the man, Ryu suddenly growled, "What in the HELL are you doing to that girl? What have you done to Nina?"

"Simple. They are air purifiers," He adjusted his glasses a bit, looking at the fuming man, "We bring them to polluted areas and they clean all the impurities out; if we make enough, we could possibly clean the Sky enough to re-inhabit the area. But did you already use this one? There isn't any other way the filters could've gotten so filthy!"

Ryu suddenly pointed to Cheryl and screamed at the man, "WHAT IS THE IDEA IN OPERATING ON AN AWAKE CHILD, YOU SICK BASTARD? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?"

"I told you... they're air purifiers. But I believe I have found a way to make Cheryl's replaceable. You just managed to stumble in at an odd time; she can't FEEL a thing..."

Ryu's fist suddenly came through the air and sharply hit the man, sending him down to the tiled floor, knocking over a cart full of tools. His glasses fell farther away, entirely cracked, "Sick... BASTARD..."

Trembling, the man stared up, "I'm j-just trying to make our world better!"

"We'll take care of that child- Lin, you said you were a nurse, get over there!"

"..." Lin hurried around into the room, then pulled off her gloves- finding a pair of clean, plastic ones, she quickly pulled them on, removing the tennis ball afterwards. "Listen, sweetheart, I'll give you some medicine to go to sleep... I won't let that creep touch you again- just try to relax..."

"Bless..." Cheryl trembled a bit, then let out a sigh, "...You..."

"..." Lin slowly moved to take the girl's pulse and found... nothing. "...Ryu, she's gone."

"..." He glared back down at the man, "How can we... 'clean' Nina?"

"...You can't. I didn't make them replaceable. The genic's condition will deteriorate until it no longer functions." He let out a sigh, "It's no use to anybody anymore."

"You... you people make me **sick!**" Ryu growled, the fiery rage billowing inside of him. All he wanted to do was to destroy the entire lab, erasing every memory of the program, but then a new idea came to mind. "...What if I take her to where the air is clean?"

"A laughable idea... there isn't an area down here not free of pollution!"

"...Then..." He looked back to the frightened Nina, "...I'll bring her to the Sky."

"Are you mad?" The man laughed, "Haven't you read your-"

"I'm through with you! Shut up!" Ryu suddenly walked across the man to the small room's doorway, "Lin, bring her along- we can't leave her here, even if she is..."

"I know." Lin picked the girl up, with a sigh, staring at her blank features.

"Let's... let's leave before..."

Lin nodded, stepping out, carrying the girl. She left the room, angry, very bitter, and still extremely disgusted at everything in this area. Waiting until Ryu and Nina had stepped out, she looked down at the man...

"...I suppose... this means I'll have to find a new one..."

The click of Lin's gun echoed through the room, as the woman shifted Cheryl's body over a shoulder. Pointing the barrel straight at the smiling doctor, she pulled the trigger, the shot echoing off the walls.


	11. Wisdom Sleeps Deep

The Darkened Sanctum

_IX: "Wisdom Sleeps Deep…"_

"Lin…? Did you…?"

"…No." She sighed, walking besides Ryu and Nina, with Cheryl over her shoulder, "I… put a hole in his foot, that's all. He'll just have something to think about for a while. But… if I had we'd have even more people chasing after us, so I held back."

Nina let out a sigh, then looked ahead- at least, now, she knew she'd NEVER come back to this foul place. Trying to keep Cheryl out of her vision, the young girl tried to also keep all related thoughts out of her mind. It was the same: the same table, the same man, the same procedure. At least the girl didn't get her vocal chords severed like Nina had; vivid memories of sitting upright on that table, those hands reaching down her throat and- "AH!"

"Nina?" Ryu found her to be clinging close, burying her face against his side, trembling. "Are you okay?"

She nodded a bit, still clinging.

"…I just can't imagine." He let out a sigh, getting down to his knees and hugging her. His head was still in pain; his thoughts only loosely connected.

"…What are we going to do with her?"

"Huh?" He looked up at Lin, figuring out she was referring to Cheryl, "…Proper burial… I would prefer that at least… better than leaving her here to be cut open again."

"I wonder who she was…" Lin sighed, moving the cold body a bit in order to keep it properly held, "I think they just swiped her from somewhere. Carting her about like some lab rat, those sick bastards…"

"…" Ryu stood up, letting go of Nina, staring at the girl. He tried to think; she had orange hair. Who was it again he was looking for with orange hair? Through the mists of pain, thoughts began to connect and formed into a name: "Cheryl!"

"What?"

"Cheryl! T… The faeries' girl!"

"Cheryl 1/286… No longer does she live, Elyon. You can focus on your main task now, mmm?"

"She isn't dead," Elyon glanced back at Hortensia, the woman standing in the doorway to the council room, "Her body may no longer live but her soul is still alive."

"You're obsessed with a thought and a dream," The woman had a stern look on, eyes closed, "You will never see the original Cheryl revive, Elyon. She tore herself apart when she linked with Chetyre; the child, though alike in name and number, will never be like that woman you seek. It is unhealthy for you to obsess over it; nobody, not even a god lives twice."

"…Living is easy with your eyes closed, misunderstanding all there is to see, Hortensia."

"Are you suggesting that, though I can no longer see with my eyes that I do not understand that which is around me? Or perhaps are you suggesting that since you are older than I am you're automatically correct?"

"…"

"Let it go. For now, our concern should be that dragon… we should hold another meeting. This has fallen from mortal hands and needs to be dealt with in another matter. What will happen when they come across Vyzhit…?"

Elyon let out a sigh…

"…the last one who saw the Sky?" Hortensia continued, her rich voice filling the room, "Oh… now I see… you refer to the sleeping dragon; her heart has stopped but only until she awakes. Are you suggesting…?"

"No. The girl's body wouldn't handle it."

"Then don't worry about it." Hortensia smirked; she knew better. Elyon would somehow meddle with things, but there wasn't a thing she could do to stop him. "Now, let us hold another meeting and discuss what to do with our _current _dragon problem, mmm?"

"…Round everyone up. I'll be waiting."

"As you wish…" She turned and walked out of the room, shoes hitting lightly against the marble floors, "…As you wish."

"…You're not good at hiding things," Elyon spoke after Hortensia had left, "But neither am I… But I musn't meddle in this again, for this whole mess was my fault to begin with… wasn't it?"

"Well… I suppose she belongs to them then…?" Lin continued through a hall, keeping close to the party.

"…It seems like… that's where she would want to be, don't you think? I mean… that picture… all she wanted was to have the sky for her and her friends." Ryu stared at the floor as they continued, silently contemplating things, "All she wanted…"

"Was to be known by her name. I'm sure almost everyone with half the sense living in this place wants to be known by a name instead of a godforsaken number." Lin added, under her breath, "I sure did."

"What is your number?"

"I'm not telling you!" Lin's nose went straight into the air as she continued; "You'll turn me in and perhaps get the rest of my family when you're at it, punk!"

"Lin, I'll never GET the chance to!" He came to a halt; not realizing his hand was tightening around Nina's, "None of us will! Our faces have probably already been seen by every eye in the Shelter- we can't ever go back!"

"So we'll just have to move forward…" She smirked, continuing, "…And leave the numbers behind."

"…" Ryu sighed, then noticed Nina was tugging at his hand. "Oh! Sorry!"

She pulled her hand away and rubbed it a bit as they continued, and then took his arm instead. Nina watched Lin in the lead, focused on the woman's tail that so elegantly waved about in the air- for some reason, Nina just wanted to hug it to see if it was as fluffy as it looked. She didn't have the chance, though, as she stepped back a bit when a door opened, a cool blast of air rushing in.

"Woah…" Ryu looked through the door at the ice-coated walls, "Where…?"

"Frozen road. We head through here quickly and pop! One step closer to home for me. However, we'll have to go quickly or poor Nina will freeze off her tootsies."

Ryu glanced down at Nina who now looked worried after this statement. He suddenly picked her up, holding her securely, then walked in, "Not if she never touches the ice, right?"

"I suppose… Man…" Lin grumbled, then added, so quietly none could hear, "And I have to drag this dead body the entire way… Hmph. At least she won't decompose in here."

"Did you say something?"

"Nope, I'm coming." She pushed off the wall with a foot and glided across the ice past Ryu effortlessly, "Now I'm going!"

"Hey!" Ryu moved forward, then found his footing wasn't as sure as Lin's- stumbling a bit, he fought to keep Nina upright and wound up falling onto his rear end, Nina safely on top (though rather surprised). "Ugh…"

"Careful, buddy," Lin laughed, coming to a halt farther in the cavern, "The ice can be vicious if you don't respect it."

"Ha ha… very funny." He sat up, carefully taking Nina. Trying to get up again, he found it nearly impossible so he started to inch his way, his bottom getting very cold, over to Lin, who was laughing her tail off. "Quiet, you…"

"What an incompetent Ranger, squeaking along the ice caves on his tush," Lin laughed as she pulled him upright, "Better not get frostbite; having that stuff down there would be harsh!"

"Oh yeah? How do you stay upright in here?"

"Simple." She pushed off and glided about, twirling in a circle before scooting back, "Natural elegance."

"It's that tail of yours."

Nina nodded in agreement at this observation.

"It's not my fault you weren't blessed with a tail, mister pureblood human-man…" She teasingly pushed him, causing him to stumble but eventually regain his balance, "I'd give you one but I don't have any spares!"

"Well, let's TRY to get through here before I break something," Uneasily shuffling across the ice, Ryu grumbled, "How long is it?"

"Luckily, not very," Lin started skating in circles around Ryu to his great annoyance, all with extreme ease, "Good thing these shoes slide well on ice!"

"Cut it out!" Ryu frowned, staring down at his feet, focusing on not falling. He could see her pass by every single time she circled, though, and it really annoyed him, "God, do something useful like help me!"

"Okay!" She slid around behind him and suddenly started pushing him, causing him to panic a bit (as well as Nina who promptly hid her face against his shoulder) as he moved along. "Mass transit system- one way only, please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times; please put your tray into the up position and enjoy your trip on Lin Railways."

"GAH! WATCH OUT FOR THE WALL!" He tried to skid to a halt and wound up falling onto his side, holding Nina up so she didn't get hurt. Lin tripped over him and wound up laughing, though Ryu wasn't too amused as she revived his headache by stepping on his head. "You suck at driving!"

Nina nodded several times, trying to keep her feet away from the cold ice. She even shook her finger at Lin, staring with a stern expression.

Lin continued to howl with laughter, slowly cuing the upset, weary, but amused Ryu to do the same. Nina just watched in confusion as both went into hysterics in the pile across the ice. Looking down, she noticed a faint crack in the ice was growing. "Ah!"

"W-what is it?" Ryu swallowed back some laughter, focusing on Nina.

"AH!" She pointed at the widening crack, but just a little too late. With a loud shatter, the ice gave in and all three wound up falling down a hole that was slick with ice and rocks. Startled beyond belief, Nina found herself on top of Ryu, Lin sliding down before them tail-first. Looking ahead, there was a rock, so with a sudden swing of her staff, Nina created a curve in the ice and they all swung around it. Coming to a halt on very thin ice stretched across charcoal-colored rock, the startled crew got upright. Cheryl's body was also down here as well, having been dropped with the initial collision; she had slid and come to a sharp halt before a rock, lying limply across the dark ice.

"Where are…" Lin had just brushed herself off and couldn't finish the sentence; she was gazing into the huge, ice-covered cavern at a giant beast. The body was covered in scratched, dull silver scales, a white mane drifting down around it. The massive creature had been pinned to the ground by huge and heavy chains, its wings torn and its neck rubbed raw by the entrapments. Its head, sporting great, downward-curved horns was resting against the ice, eyes closed. It did not breathe nor stir, suggesting it had been dead for quite a long time. "…Holy…fuck."

"…A… another dragon…" Ryu had gotten up, holding Nina close. She was frightened, but somehow, he was not. Moving closer, he found himself to be as tall as one of the graceful horns; stopping before the nose, he slowly extended a hand. As soon as his fingers touched the cold scales, the blue eyes shot open, startling him as he stumbled back.

Raising it's long neck and head up high, the chains shifted and fell across its neck but still hung heavy from its horns; it stared down at the frightened party, then grew a fanged smirk, "Well well, it's been many a moon since a human has touched my flesh. The last time they came I had to destroy them…"

Frightened out of his wits, Ryu drew his sword, "W-who are you?"

"Oh, put that thing down," A heavy claw suddenly came down on the blade, pinning it to the cavern floor, "I have no quarrel with you, for you do not come with intent to kill. Or do you… that fire in your eyes… you must be carrying the first one with you…"

"…" Staring up, Ryu slowly nodded, "Odjn."

"I pity you." The dragon spoke, hardly moving its mouth, with a rich and deep feminine voice, "Those who come down here usually know who I am and only wish to kill me forevermore; my memories are dangerous to this underground world. I am Vyzhit, a created weapon for you pathetic humans that used to live on the surface until you took away the skies. So, let me see…"

Her giant head came down close to Lin, startling the woman a bit, "A female, half-blooded Woren with mud-colorations, and…"

The head moved over, staring at Nina who was still in Ryu's arms, "Another female, child, with a curious, manmade attachment. She reminds me of those that used to freely dance across the skies; they were the first to fall to the poison, dropping like flies. Ah, but you brought another one…a deceased one…"

"Cheryl?" Ryu tried to scoot back to her before the dragon could reach out a wing and pull her over, but couldn't without falling. He watched helplessly as Vyzhit pulled the girl closer across the ice, "She… she needs to go to the faeries…"

"I know, I know, I'm not going to hurt the thing… not that it would matter. So, tell me, children… you are the ones reaching for the sky, no?" Vyzhit continued to stare down at the body as the others nodded, "So, Odjn, is this of his will or yours?"

_Foul beast, how dare you inhabit this place!_

Ryu suddenly winced, a sharp pain running through his head.

"You are more foul a creature to be taking up space in my presence."

_We will destroy you!_

"No… I don't want to…" Ryu winced painfully once more, sweat starting to roll off his forehead, "I don't…"

"There is no use in killing me anyhow, boy, I am as good as dead down here. I have starved for a thousand years, my last snack being that foul, one-eyed blonde man and those twins… foolishly sent by the Origin. But a few humans are meager rations; I am dying as we speak. By the time you are done insulting me, I'll have closed my eyes for the last time. Spare the boy the pain."

The pain slowly died away, Ryu relaxing a bit. He shifted Nina in his arms, letting out a sigh, "Sorry… I…"

"I don't care, child. I am ready to close my eyes and release my soul, so even if you did I would not care." Vyzhit kept a wing over Cheryl's body, almost as if holding a stuffed doll close, "However it is not fitting for me to die in these depths. For a creature that once knew the Sky, it is a disgusting thought to die in the dark, only to return to the dark."

"So… what… what happened, exactly?" Lin looked up, straining her neck, "Why are you down here?"

"During the great wars, I was meant to do nothing but destroy. I gave up this task because I was blessed with free will; I fled underground as the sky started to wane and the earth began to rot. But then they followed and sealed the entrance, trapping us underground forevermore. My eyes, weary, wish to see the colors my mind can barely remember once more, but it is of no use. I have no future. Then I suppose you are fool enough to climb to the heights and revive the heavens; that is not your intent. You will destroy the world as soon as you reach the blue… there is power within your title, child."

"I don't want to destroy the world!" Ryu looked up sorrowfully, "I just want to bring Nina to clean air…"

"You cannot avoid that which is destined to you, but you can rise to meet it. If you let it find you first, you will perish in the dark depths of this world forever. But if you find it, the world will belong to you children once more." Vyzhit closed her blue eyes, letting out a hot sigh, "This task is difficult… but not as much as it seems. Before my time is up, I suppose I should help those undertaking the massive task… So listen well, I will only speak this once before I become eternally silent."

The dragon sat up, the chains snapping, causing the party to back up. Rust and dried blood fell from the snapping metal, which all slid to the iced ground with a large amount of noise. Shaking out the snow from her mane, the dragoness sat up on her hind legs, wings folded neatly on either side of her painfully thin figure.

"I am the second smallest of the dragons inhabiting this underground labyrinth. The smallest one you've passed; Odjn, the deceased one who hangs as an effigy in the lower laboratories created by the humans. After me, the next is Dva; beware of him, for he sleeps in the deep and will awake with fury as soon as you step foot within his domain. He does not take kindly to other dragons, able to tear you asunder with a single blow. Finally, the black dragon Chetyre; his path seems to cross with yours in the future, but I focus not on this dream. You, child, this is your enemy; he is Odjn's rival, and though defeated by the smaller dragon, he continues to burn and writhe with hate in past his death. But there is one more; the Origin, the only living creature who knows I exist. He spared me from death for one mere moment, but only to let me waste away in this foul chamber. He may rise to stop you, but his power is limited for his heart rules his soul; still, do not take him lightly. Now… I ask you of a favor…"

"Uh… what?" Ryu stared up, slowly absorbing all he had just learned.

"Send me to the eternal sleep!"


	12. Singing the Last Gospel

The Darkened Sanctum

_X: "Singing The Last Gospel…"_

"But-" Ryu grabbed his sword and backed up with Nina still in his arms, "But you said-"

"I know what I said," Vyzhit's voice boomed across the small cavern, making loose snow and ice drift from the ceilings, "And I still hold to it- my body may perish in the deep but my soul will release at the surface; I have just the transport to do so! Children of the darkened sanctum, do as I have asked of you or I will force you into sparing your own lives at the cost of mine!"

Ryu stared up in disbelief, then noted Cheryl was still near the great dragon- dropping the sword, yet still holding Nina close, he tried to run in to grab the girl. As he was to wrap an arm around her wrist, the torn wing came across him and Nina hard, both skidding across the ice. Ryu came to a halt first and instantly scooted back to Nina, helping her upright- scooping her up, he got shakily onto his feet and shouted, "You can't keep that girl! She needs to go-"

"She will return to the faeries with a new breath in her chest, a new lung to hold that precious air. 'Til I am brought to the surface this child is mine… unless you destroy me first!"

"Fine, anyhow," Lin whipped out her gun, loaded it, then took aim, "I **HATE** DRAGONS!"

The shot hit a scale, which promptly fell off the neck of the dragon, the dull silver piece being ignored by the rather unmoving dragon. Determined, Lin took another stab at it and fired; with a spurt, she hit the creature in the neck where scales had been rubbed away, with very little effect.

"More effort… show me your powers; I know you possess hate for me, Odjn, bring it forth and let your breath tear me asunder!"

"Unnngh!" Ryu stumbled back, the fiery rage welling up inside of his body. He accidentally dropped Nina as he backed away, holding his head. He could see the black coloration swallow him, and with the last breath of his humanity, he screamed, "This isn't what I want to do!"

Exploding into flames, melting the ice underneath him into a small pool, the dragonized man moved away from the group, but was still facing the great dragoness. She smiled, fangs bared, slowly lowering head to be level with him, "Show yourself the power you can unleash, demon…!"

The heat within his body grew into the hundreds of degrees, Ryu drawing in a large amount of air. Reforming into pure energy within his soul, he lurched forward and shot out a massive glowing beam; knocked back by his own power, he came to a halt by digging his claws into the ice. Looking up, smoke billowing from his mouth, he could see Vyzhit standing with a large hole straight through her body.

The ice behind her, and directly around her had been instantly melted into boiling water, steam rising from the surface. Body torn asunder, one could clearly see through to the wall, Vyzhit's heart momentarily stirring, but going still. Her great head and neck came down from the air and hit the floor, causing the room to shake, everyone bouncing up once due to the vibrations. Blood spread out around the creature, mixing with the ice, snow, and cooling water.

Ryu burst into flames, collapsing onto his knees, fighting for cool breaths of air. His throat was so badly burned that he began clawing at the ice in an effort to lift a piece. Nina, sensing his pain, scooted, feet very cold, to a small pile of snow and brought him a handful, which he quickly engulfed. Sitting beside him as a silent sentinel, she watched him, worried, but assured he would get well once more.

"Good golly Miss Molly…" Lin had fallen onto her rear end when the dragon's head fell, and hadn't gotten upright, "That probably shouldn't have been that easy… Oh, Cheryl!"

The girl had been shoved aside by the dragon and was lying in a pool of melted ice, a few minor burns across her arm. However, her hand had a gaping hole through it, as if somebody had driven a knife through it. She remained still, hair spread out across the water- then her eyes shot open.

Sitting up and hacking up a small amount of blood, the girl rolled onto her knees until she had coughed the old fluid out. Panting, she caught glimpse of her face in the water, a sight that somehow seemed new to her. Those green eyes stared vividly… her hair framed her face. Slowly sitting, she brought her hands close to her face, staring at the pale palms; turning them around, she instantly stared at the hole that ran partially through her left hand. Wrapping her arms around herself, she almost let out a sob… but then realized she was no longer surrounded by eternal night.

Across the wet, dim light, she could see her reflection swirled with the red from the great dragon; loose scales that had been jostled out of place revealed a pure, metallic silver coloration. The snow was stained red, turning the blood into small crystals on the surface. Though it was a gruesome sight, it had beauty to it; her gaze lingered.

"Ryu! Ryu, she's alive!" Lin looked scared as HELL, scooting away from the scene, "RYU!"

"Cheryl…?"

"…" She looked over her shoulder, then grew a nervous look, "Please… I don't want to go back there again…"

"No… we're… we've been sent by your friends. We're here to bring you home, Cheryl…" Ryu slowly sat up, then rose and started walking to the apprehensive girl, "We won't let anyone hurt you again…"

"That's what they said when I signed up," Hot tears rolled from her eyes, "I don't want to do it again; I don't want to go home in the Topsector. I don't want to be a number anymore- I want to be Cheryl…"

Ryu came to a halt, staring at the girl with a look of sympathy and sadness. But, in silence, though her limbs were cold, Nina came around him and headed straight for her, dropping down before her and staring into those green eyes. Both gazed at each other for a long time in the unbroken, blissful silence, as if reading something in each other's eyes. Looking back at Ryu, Nina stared for a minute, then looked back at Cheryl and nodded softly.

"…You really won't?"

"No. None of us will force you to go anywhere you don't want to go. We just wanted to help you; besides, we know of a certain group of individuals who miss you dearly…"

Cheryl's eyes lit up, "You… you don't mean…"

"OH MY GOOSHINESS!" Adylla nearly SCREAMED, having summoned the group to the colony after Ryu gave a sharp tweet of the whistle, "YOO FOUND CHERYL! Where have yoo been yoo little brat?"

"Uhm… well…"

"No time for excuses! No! Not at all! Yoo must say hello to Sodona and Midelo, not to mention Soni and Zyrelln and Dijima and Usena and-"

"Woah," Ryu blinked, "Weren't there… only three of you last…?"

Somehow, Ryu and Lin's gaze met, and both shuddered in unison. Ryu looked back to Adylla and shook his head, "Don't explain. Please."

"Suit yoorself! We've got a lot done since yoo have left; our cafeteria is in service and so is the small inn we plopped in, and the antz are always busy digging new tunnels; we expect a 70 increase of land by the end of next week!" Adylla giggled out of excitement, shrill, "We've employed nineteen antz as yoo may or may not know! Also, we have a small store for all of yoor needs!"

"Cool!" Cheryl had a smile across her face ten-miles wide, "Adylla, you've got to bring me to meet everybody!"

"Yoo're right! Enjoy yourselves, yon warriors! Teehee! There's a directory in every room if yoo get lost or something moronic like that! Come, little Cheryl, let us wreak havoc on the population!" Adylla took off, the girl running along behind as if nothing had ever happened to her.

"…" Ryu watched this. There was only one way she could have revived; Vyzhit herself warned that she would use Cheryl for 'transport'. So was this lively young lady Cheryl or the dragon?

"While we're here…" Lin suddenly pulled her hood off, her orange hair flowing out and coming to rest across her back, reaching halfway down her upper body. Her brown, furry ears had reverted from the forced-upright position to a relaxed, somewhat drooped stance, "Might as well take a break and get a bit of food and shut-eye. Wonder if they put in that dance club…"

Watching HER take off in disbelief, Ryu looked down at Nina, "Are you planning on leaving too?"

Nina instantly clung to his arm, shaking her head.

"That's what I thought. I bet Lin's going to look for the cafeteria- want to see if we can find it first?" Getting a nod, he picked up Nina, and then walked to a column with the in-progress directory on it. "Huh. We head through… the west tunnel, down tunnel A-3 and then we're there. She didn't even look at the map; bet she'll get lost! Well, let's go!"

After a long walk through the well-lit, sturdily carved pathways, the two wound their way down with a bit of a walk into another cavern, which had been converted into a little cafeteria. Setting Nina down, Ryu walked behind her as she hurried to the counter and touched it; she glanced back, and he smiled.

"You beat her! Me, too!"

Nina nodded, looking slightly proud. She turned and stared over the desk at a purple-haired faerie and her two ant helpers, and waved.

"What have we here?" The faerie giggled, "I'm Soni, welcome to the cafeteria! We offer yoo the best in faerie cuisine! Teehee! Yoo're a cute little one, aren't yoo? Teehee, we may have to give her the discount!"

"Uh," Ryu laughed uneasily, "That'd be lovely since I don't have any zenny; I donated it to the colony some time ago."

"Oh! Yoo must be Mister Ryu, Dragon Boy. Yes! We have orders to allow yoo free meals for eternity or until yoo stop showing up. Teehee! What can I do yoo for, Mister Ryu?"

"Uh…" He scanned the chalkboard behind the desk, and then noticed an odd pattern. Marshmellow cream pies; French silk; iced cookies; rock candy. "…Please don't tell me the ONLY thing you serve is CANDY…"

"Well… uh… teehee… about that…. That is to say…"

"Hey!" Lin came up behind Ryu, nosily looking over his shoulder, "Food? Food for me?"

"If they HAVE food."

"Let me ask the chef!" Soni turned and whispered to the antz in a huddle. After low whispers were shared, she turned back around, "We can whip something up for yoo! Chicken noodle soup! Take a seat and we'll serve it to yoo whence it's done!"

"Thanks!" Ryu moved to a table, accompanied by his usual party. "God, I can't begin to describe how hungry I am…"

"My empty bowels tremble and ache; my tongue without flavor wanes in the dry cavern of mine mouth. The sweet refreshment of apples and such things; many a year has gone by, it seems, since my gut has embraced them. Like a parched desert thirsty for rain, my figure aches for juicy crispness of fresh fruit and berries, covered in fine dew and fresh plucked from the bosom of their trees." Lin dramatically threw herself into a seat, "Fear not, empty body, for thee I shall fill to the brim with the bounty of the eastern moon; dance and praise the blessings I shall tide upon thee. Go forth now, take a taste, my sleeping mouth, and re-awake to flavor!"

"…Gee, thank you, miss Drama." Ryu sarcastically applauded, "You deserve an award."

"Don't I?" She let out a sigh, relaxing across the bench seat, "My talents are many hidden gems…"

Ryu rolled his eyes and waited patiently until Soni came flying over, directing a team of ants with VERY big bowls full of steaming soup to the table. Three before each member, with spoons supported, the antz couldn't help but giggle at the party's faces.

"This is high quality ca-er, chicken soup, made fresh for yoo! Enjoy it!"

"Great!" Ryu picked up his spoon and was about to take a sip when he noticed Lin, who was drinking the entire thing down, "Woah, careful Lin, you'll drown in that stuff!"

Lin dropped the bowl suddenly, a bit of the warm fluid came oozing from her mouth. She was frozen still in the position, the sickly sweet 'soup' drizzling off the table.

"…Lin? Are you okay?" Ryu blinked, staring at her.

"Ooooh dear…" Soni giggled, "Another diabetic is born!"

"What?"

"Er, yoo might want to get over there in three… two… one…"

On cue, Lin seemed to throw herself to the floor and started twitching violently- almost knocking his own bowl over, Ryu rolled over the table and dropped down beside her, instantly pinning her down. "LIN!"

Meanwhile, Nina had ventured to try this strange substance, and found the overly sweet taste DELECTABLE. With a sparkle to her eye, she drank a large amount of it, and then scooted the bowl away, looking around with spastic movements. Rising sharply, she began to wander off, walking around behind the table near the shaking Lin.

"Nina!" Ryu grabbed her by the ankle, but kept Lin pinned to the ground under his other arm; fighting to keep the hopping Nina close, he leaned his weight without possibly hurting the poor woman. Staring up at Soni, he yelled, "WELL, DO SOMETHING!"

"Uhh… we'll refund yoor order? Teehee?"

"We didn't fucking pay!"

"Ooooh… right… teehee… QUICK! Dazur, Fibern," She talked to two of the antz, "Hurry up to a grocery store and buy some of that disgusting canned soup for our guests!"

"Hi guys!" Cheryl came in through a path, and then paused, staring at the odd scene. "What's he doing to that lady?"

"Oooh," Soni giggled, "Yoo came at the best part! She's having a spasm and he's juggling the little one in one hand and using his free arm to pin her down! It's actually quite amusing!"

"…Isn't it dangerous to have a seizure?"

"Maybe. Teehee!"

"…Okay. I'm hungry- do you have any Popsicles?"

"Yes! Coming right up!" Soni flit away then came back with a large cherry Popsicle, unwrapped, and handed it to the girl.

"Thanks!" Popping it in her mouth, Cheryl watched Ryu's struggle in sweet silence, grinning around that tasty treat the entire time.

"Thank god…" Ryu's face hit the soft pillow of one of the beds in the inn; he had taken a top bunk, Nina underneath him, very glad to be getting some rest. His jacket was hanging off a hook, attached to the metal bridge of the bunk. There were more beds all across the walls, imbedded in the carved surface, so they were very warm and sleepily cozy. Ryu pulled his ponytail's band off and removed the goggles that were used mostly to keep his bangs in place, and messily stuffed them in his coat pocket, then lazily kicked off his shoes onto the floor. "I can't believe all that's happened…"

Below him, Nina had already been tucked in, but she had to leave her wings uncovered, so the blanket was resting under them. She seemed just as glad to have a rest as Ryu, deep asleep already. A bed across, on the top, Cheryl was asleep as well, having just slipped under and instantly gone out like a light. But on the bottom, a brown tail swung back and forth.

The shaky, but recovering Lin had vowed off soup for the rest of her life; she had put her belt and her hood on the floor beside her, her gun on top so she could find it right away. To calm her nerves, she had- almost literally- rekindled an old habit. A small puff of smoke rose out from around the top bed, drifting and disappearing as it reached the ceiling.

"…That smell… Lin?" Ryu looked up, "…Are you… smoking?"

"I vowed the damn habit off, but now… now it's the only way I can stop shaking! I HATE faeries! I HATE dragons! I HATE soup!"

"…Is it… is it possible for you to do that… outside the room? I am afraid Nina will start-"

"Ugh. Fine. See you guys in the morning. Don't blow anything up until then." She rolled out of bed, carefully, then strolled across the floor, picking her gun up as she passed, heading out the door, drifting smoke as she left.

"…Thank you." Closing his eyes, sleep caught him up quickly and dragged him swiftly into well-deserved peace…


	13. Just a Little Joke

The Darkened Sanctum

_XI: "Just a Little Joke…"_

"We've finally made it…" Blood loosely dripped from Ryu's gashed forehead, his body aching from the fights behind him, "We're just a step away…"

Above the three stood silent gates, made of metal with a huge mural done in red and blue painted on it. It was a massive circle with three smaller circles inside of it, each with a different symbol splayed over it. The room itself was dark, metal, the only light coming from cracks around the platform they stood upon. Everyone was tattered, having cuts and bruises of all sorts; glad the fight was finally over. All looked hopefully up at the gate…

"We're one step away from the Sky…" Ryu slowly moved, Nina behind him, to the center of the platform, holding his arms up at it. He was ready to embrace whatever glory was behind those giant doors, that slowly shook, faint dust falling.

"There's nothing there…" A voice whispered, the words echoing off the walls. "There is nothing at all…"

The doors spread open in one swift movement, dust falling down into the room. However, the outside was pitch black, no light whatsoever, as sand started filling the small room. Ryu could hear coughing around him, from Lin and Nina, as the thick substance swirled and curled about in the air in great plumes. Starting to choke for air, he tried to turn and find Nina, in an effort to save her from the dust sea. He waded through the rising substance, reaching out to her in vain. He was jerked downward; he was sinking into the sand, unable to get out. Clawing and fighting to pull himself free, he felt a hand wrap around his left arm. Looking up, he was staring at a glowing blue figure that stared down with a dark, shapeless face. It slowly held out its right hand, and Ryu tried to catch it, but when he caught the wrist, he was engulfed with the sounds of coughing ringing around him.

"Oh!" He woke up, cold sweat rolling down his forehead. Panting a bit out of shock, he found himself where he had fallen asleep, face partially buried in the white pillow. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and sunk back down against the fabric, dark hair messily laying over his face and the object.

He then noticed that the coughing from his dream was still in the room.

"Hmm…?" He slowly rolled to the side of the bunk, and then looked down, hair hanging from his forehead as he hung upside down. Nina was sitting up in bed, fighting a painful sounding cough. "Nina! Hold on, I'll be right there!"

About to climb out, he pushed the light blanket off himself and discovered something. Somebody during the course of the night had very carefully stripped him of his clothing, leaving only his boxers. They even had painstakingly taken off his socks, and usually if anybody even SPOKE about touching his feet he'd twitch. He looked at the coat hanger and found his jacket and other accessories were gone. But hearing that cough threw him back into action as he dropped off the bunk, then kneeled beside her bed. He carefully began to pat against her back, looking worried, "Come on, Nina, you can get over it… come on…"

Irritated tears rolled from her cheeks as she finished the coughing fit, trying to swallow the rest down. Small frame shaking from the effort, she finally let out a long sigh, fighting it off. With her eyes held closed, she could feel Ryu carefully wipe away those stray tears.

"You sound terrible…" He spoke quietly, deep concern rooted in his voice, "Are you okay now?"

She nodded, looking at him. Nina blinked, noticing he was lacking his usual wear and thought he looked kind of odd with his hair down all over his face. She leaned over and looked up, as if searching for where his clothes were.

"I have no idea where any of my stuff went. Though, if my idea is correct…" He glanced over at the bunk beside his, where Cheryl and Lin had slept. Both were gone, the blankets lazily tossed back on the beds. "…They've got them. Do you want to help me find them?"

She nodded, but then only held her arms open to him.

"Huh? Oh! Oh…" He slowly picked her up, standing upright. Smiling a bit, he made sure she was held very securely, "I can imagine that you wouldn't want to walk around this early. Not quite awake yet, huh?"

She yawned in response, and then rested her head against the side of his.

"Good answer. Alright, let's go hunt down our troublemakers, eh?" He started off, bare feet kicking up dust as he walked across the bare floors. Through the wide opening and into the main tunnels, he watched as several antz came past and merged into the crowd, heading for the cafeteria. He was soon aware that some faeries were following as loud giggles began to rise through the air. Blushing a bit, he tried to ignore them, but of course, in typical faerie fashion, they had to start commenting.

"Woohoo!" A purple-haired one laughed, "Look at THAT hunk of manflesh! Teehee! All lean meat on that one!"

"With a little more body fat, hoo, I wouldn't mind bedding down with THAT one!" Loud shrieks of laughter rolled down the tunnel, "Tasty eye candy, that one!"

"…" Ryu's ears were red by this time. He turned off to the cafeteria, hearing the shrieks of laughter follow behind him. Growling a bit, stepping into the cafeteria, he walked up to the desk. The antz- and Soni- took one look then fell over each other laughing their heads off. "Hah, yes, it is very funny. Has any one of you seen any clothes walking past?"

"HAHAHAHA!" Soni SCREAMED with laughter, barely able to continue flying, "THOSE ARE THE CUTEST LITTLE BOXERS! I LOVE THE HEARTS!"

"…What?" He looked down, just now noticing the pattern. Somebody had VERY CAREFULLY drawn big pink hearts all over the poor things. Now as flushed as ever, and rather pissed off, he growled, "Where did she go?"

"HAHAHAHAAAA!" Soni collapsed to the floor, little feet kicking as she rolled about, "HAHA!"

"Grr…" Ryu stepped away, looking up and down the exits. He took the west one, holding Nina close, about ready to burst a vein. His temper was rising; his body heat was also rising, but so far only a cozy warm that put Nina into a little nap. Ryu's eyes were still their calm blue, however, so he had a way to go before there was any danger of his dragon form emerging. "I swear… I'm gonna kill that terrorist woman once and for all…"

"Excuse me?" A pair of orange shoes stood in the metal doorway, staring into the office. Glass from the sectioned-room's window still lied about, a small amount of blood scattered about. The man had his back to the figure, cleaning off the bed in the operating room, having just put away the filters that went unused. "Hey, you, there's a customer!"

"Hmm?" The doctor looked up, wearing his cracked glasses. He slowly shuffled out to the young man, his foot having been quickly taped up and put carefully back in his shoe. Stopping before him, the man smiled, "Can I help you?"

"There was something I wanted to ask you about." Bosch's image, through the glass container in the room, was wavering as bubbles rose up in the liquid. He moved his hand up and lightly tapped the glass, "About this…"

"Ah, yes… the arm of a Chosen… Dragon-linked, you know. They may tell you they don't exist but-"

"Yes, yes, I wanted to know where you got it from."

"Hm." He thought for a moment, and then recalled, "The woman who had linked with this particular being went insane near PowerOne. High-ranking rangers had chased her down and they managed to sever the arm off her mid-form. She died, her body rotting away, but the arm remains perfectly preserved. We keep it in there as per regulations, you know. Tests have shown the limb is still alive, actually, the tissue just refusing to die."

"…Can you transfer this kind of link to another person?" Bosch glanced at the black arm, which sported glowing red claws. The severed veins still hung from the end, the fingers lightly twitching every-so often.

"You don't mean to tell me…? Listen; there have been only three cases of people linked to the dragons, all with extremely high D-ratios. Even the highest-ranking one chose to shut down his link; the other two tore themselves apart."

"You didn't answer my question…"

"…Well…" The doctor sighed, "In theory, you could at least attach the arm. It is unknown if it will transfer the link to the new body. But you would have to have a good reason to-"

"Up front, 30,000,000 zenny."

"…I can't do this. As I recall, you still have both of your-"

Whisking out his blade, Bosch rested it on a counter as he took off his jacket and his shirt. Carefully placing those aside, he took up the blade, and in front of the doctor, he grit his teeth and brought the weapon down quickly across the beginning of his right arm. The limb dropped to the floor, blood rolling from the wound. "N…now you can…"

"Hello," Cheryl giggled, having being found in the marketplace, wearing Lin's clothing, which was all much too big for her, "I'm Lin, the highest paid person at Trinity! Beware of my aim, it's deadly!"

"Mm-hmm," Ryu stared down, not at all amused, "Where can I find the REAL Lin?"

"You're looking at her!"

Sighing, still holding the sleeping Nina, he changed gears: "Where can I find Ryu?"

"Here I am…" Lin strolled out, wearing Ryu's clothes, from behind a display stand. The clothes were much too small for her, tightly stretched over her figure. Her tail was bent uncomfortably in the back, coming up and over the belt. She even had her hair tied up like he always did, and the goggles holding up her bangs, "Ryu 1/8-something or 'nother. Occupation: Village idiot and ranger dumbass. My social security number starts in 322 and ends in 990, can I tell you any more?"

"Hey!" Ryu frowned, "That's not funny!"

"It is to me! Now look at this, tsk," She looked herself over, "Your clothes are so small! I mean you must have a 2 body fat ratio or something. No hole for the tail, either…"

"Maybe because I don't have one?"

"You're not Ryu, you don't look like him," Cheryl giggled. She had to push the hood back up her head, the poor thing loose since Cheryl didn't have the ears to fill it out, "You are kinda cute in those boxers, though!"

"Hah, now please, give me back my clothes."

"Aww, but the material breathes so easily…"

"Now!"

As the two argued, Cheryl felt something buzz in her borrowed pocket. Stepping off to the side, she pulled out the compact mirror that was vibrating. Flipping it open, she noticed the speaker, and then cheerfully spoke, "Lin speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hm?" The speaker on the other end paused. "…Excuse me?"

"Lin speaking, how can I help you?" Cheryl patiently repeated.

"…You're definitely not who I want to speak with. Little girl, is Lin somewhere near you?" Lin's boss was, fortunately, more patient than others with children, so he leaned back in his chair and spoke calmly.

"She's talking to you."

"Hm?"

"I am Lin!"

"Then… is there another adult around you?"

"You could speak to Ryu, but he's fighting with a ranger who's got nothing on but his boxers!  
"…" The man blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, hold on," Cheryl looked to Lin who was keeping Ryu held back by pressing against his forehead, "Ryu! You have a call!"

"What?" She suddenly let go of Ryu, sidestepping away from him, plucking up the compact, "Ryu speaking. This isn't a good time, sir…"

"Lin, what is going on?" Her boss sat upright, staring at the speaker as if demanding a reasonable explanation from the object.

"What is that thing?" The REAL Ryu abruptly snatched it from Lin, then moved away from her, "Hello?"

"…" Silence on the other end.

"Give me that!" Lin snatched it back, "Call me again later, honeybunny, love you!"

Cheryl giggled as Lin snapped it shut and tossed it back to the girl, putting it in her pocket. She then noticed the arguing being tossed back and forth was awaking Nina, so she lightly tugged on Lin's tail to get attention, "Hey, maybe it's time to stop playing dress-up…"

"Alright, if you say so, Lin," Lin smirked, "Shall we undress here…?"

"Go find a restroom, you perv!" Ryu shifted Nina a bit, glaring a hole through Lin.

"You're the pervert, thinking the bad thoughts. Come on, Lin, let's go back to being ourselves, what do you say?"

After a few minutes, Lin gave back Ryu's somewhat stretched clothes and took Nina for him so he could get dressed. They all met back at the cafeteria where they had to have Marshmallow Gem cereal for breakfast since it was all the faeries served. Ryu was in an expectedly foul mood when he came, but he did manage to smile down at Nina before sitting.

"So, now that I've tormented you for the day, what are the plans?"

"We need to leave and continue up."

"Good idea."

"Wait," Cheryl paused in her eating, swallowing a mouthful of the sugary food, "Where are you going?"

"Up… to the Sky." Ryu sounded a bit hopeful, an airy tone to his voice.

"Really…" Cheryl looked as if she was daydreaming. "Me, too!"

"Hmm?" He looked straight at her, "…You can't."

"Why not?"

"Listen," Lin spoke up, around a mouthful of marshmallows, "You're asking a terrorist, a wanted man, and a laboratory experiment if you can go with them to find something that may or may not exist. Every single Ranger in the shelter is currently hunting us. We can't possibly bring you with; it's way too dangerous. We don't need you to… er… die. Again."

"You have to bring me," The girl brushed back her long hair, "Otherwise I'll go alone. I don't want to hide; I want to be known by a name."

"We already do…" Lin smiled, "Mission accomplished, little lady."

"But… no… I mean…" Cheryl sighed, "…I agreed to go to BioCorp Labs because… because I wanted to get my name known by everyone. I didn't know they were going to… going to do… but… you must let me come! I know the sky is there; I want to find it, too!"

"…" Ryu let out a deep sigh, "We just don't want you to get hurt again…"

"I won't!" Cheryl frowned, "I won't ever let anybody hurt me again!"

"There are some things in life you cannot avoid… injury, unfortunately, is one of them." Lin took a spoonful of the cereal, and in between loud, crunchy chews, she spoke, "Why can't you stay down here with the faeries?"

Growing a deep, adult tone, Cheryl responded, "I won't allow myself to."

Ryu stared, recognizing that voice as that of the great dragoness… "…I… suppose it can't be avoided, then. We'll leave after breakfast. You'll need a way to protect yourself because we can't always protect you. If you can, find a pair of shoes for yourself… we'll be heading through ice upon ice upon ice. Beyond that… I'm not sure."

"Oh, you'll need shoes alright," Lin laughed.

"Okay!" Cheryl hurried to finish her cereal, "Yay, my adventure!"

"Your adventure…" Elyon had been watching the entire time, from when they had encountered the sleeping dragon to the last thing she had said. "…I knew I should have personally terminated Vyzhit… but now…"

"But now you've got your wishes." Cupid had strolled in, Rasta walking beside him, tail bobbing here and there, "She lives and smiles, but she is still not YOUR Cheryl, is she? I told you that sending someone else, even Vexicon and his assistants would not bring down an original dragon. Though her body was torn asunder, her soul seems intact."

"…Can you tell me if the soul I see Cheryl possessing is only of Vyzhit's?"

"…I can at least tell you, sir, that she is a very good actress."

"Are the rest of them coming yet? I've been waiting a day and a half for that meeting and Hortensia never got back to me…"

"Yes sir, we had some setbacks though… we… had to fill out the paperwork noting the fact Tantra is very not alive, sir. Then we had to note the death of Vyzhit but also fill out the paperwork saying she existed in the first place. We just all got it finished, and the rest should be coming in after morning meals."

"Very good; you might as well take a seat and wait, then. We have much to discuss this time…"


	14. The Path We Chose

1The Darkened Sanctum

_XII: "The Path We Chose..."_

It had been several hours since his little visit to BioCorp Laboratories, the blonde young man now passing through the hallways of Ranger HQ. He was rubbing his wrist, which was concealed under the edge of his glove and sleeve, silently musing over a few dark thoughts.

"I'll show him..." The words were trapped in silence, circling in his mind, "Father..."

Bloodstained memories filled his thoughts; standing in the beautiful marble hall with a sword in hand, the young child trembled as a massive beast stepped forth. Off in the corner, a battle-scarred, blonde man watched, a patch over his left eye while the right sternly gazed. Though the child was screaming to the man to help him, the warrior stood unmoving, watching. A few words were exchanged, floating into hearing: "Kill it, child, make me proud..."

In the hallway, another Ranger came out of a door and watched Bosch pass. With a bit of a devious smirk, the individual caught up to him, walking behind him. "Hey, Hey Bosch!"

"I did it..." The memories of that bloodstained boy still held Bosch's attention. The great beast was slain, blood spreading out around it on the shining floors. The child gazed at the warrior, a sickly smile spread across his face, drenched in blood. "I did it, father!"

The man simply nodded, then spoke once more, the words lost on Bosch's ears. He left the room, leaving the boy in silence to gaze at the corpse. His mind sped through more bloody memories, coming across the last time he had seen him...

"Where are you going...?" The words only lightly floated, barely heard by his mind, "You can't do THAT, you'll be... please come back..."

"For being as well-trained as you are," His father's last words to him still clung like claws to his heart, "You sure are being a baby. Go off now and do me proud today; I'll be back at the end of the night."

Bosch could still see his Father turn and step out the doors, the identical twins on either side of him staring down their noses at the young man. They followed suit, silently, the great doors standing open to darkness. "...but you've never come back..."

"Hey Bosch!"

"?" Snapping back to reality, Bosch only slightly moved his head, not saying a word.

"I... I heard about what happened!" The Ranger laughed, coming up closer, "Is it true Captain Zeno and everyone else is all dead? Ryu really turned into a monster? They said nobody survived, but then I heard YOU were there!"

"..." Bosch remained silent, only partially paying attention.

"You ran away!" The man had a hint of teasing in his voice, but not enough to justify his words, "You let Ryu defeat you!"

A gleam of metal abruptly erased the smile off the ranger, sliding through flesh, blood hitting the ground as well as the ranger's severed hand. The man stared in absolute horror, trembling, backing away from Bosch while holding his wounded arm.

"I will hear NONE of it!" Bosch continued onward, a fiery glint playing through his eyes, "You know NOTHING! He hasn't defeated anyone- I WILL kill him!"

The man backed away, turning pale, then shakily reached down and picked up the severed appendage in his hand and took off, whimpering, for the nearest infirmary.

"But if you would bring us there instead," Cheryl had been talking with Adylla for the past thirteen minutes over where they should be dropped off. Lin had argued that it would be easier for everyone if the faeries dropped them off in the Midsector, in the mall area. Cheryl tried to convince the little faerie as best she could, "It would make all of our lives easier. And then I'll be safer, too...!"

"Well..." Adylla grumbled, "It just uses so much faerie dust..."

"Birthday present, then?"

"...For yoo, yes. I'll have to send yoo by pre-installed lines, however; we haven't put a faeline in that area yet." Adylla let her arms drop from their crossed position, "It will be quite a bumpy ride, but I think we can do it for yoo four!"

"Thank you so much..." Ryu smiled, "You've really helped us a lot."

"Aww," Adylla giggled, "Only because yoo make the cutest pets!"

"Oh rapture." Lin rolled her eyes.

"All ready for departure?" Adylla got nods from everybody, then clasped her hands together, "Dragon Boy, take care! We will see yoo all in the future, no doubt! Yoo are welcome to the colony whenever yoo want! Teehee! Now fly, silly humans!"

With a burst of faerie dust, the party was whipped through a line; not exactly a faeline, but it worked almost the same. In the Midsector mall, however, one of the payphones began to ring off its hook. A young girl standing off to the side, wearing a big, blue hat noticed this. Her rabbit ears perked a bit, as she adjusted her glasses and stopped in front of it. Watching it ring, she gingerly took it up, holding it against the side of her head, which barely touched her ginger hair, "Hello?"

She yelped as she held the receiver down, all four people inexplicably falling out into a pile on the paved ground. The girl slowly hung up the phone, staring down in confusion at the pile.

"A line... phone line... damn it all..." Lin squeezed out from under Nina and Cheryl, "Why didn't I know this was going to happen?"

"Wow... that was kinda fun!" Cheryl hopped off Ryu, pulling Nina up. She helpfully dusted off the girl, holding onto her hand. The two exchanged a small smile before peeling Ryu off the paved path.

"Ow..." He brushed himself off when upright, "Thanks... where are we?"

"Hmm! Close to home," Lin smirked, tail swinging back and forth behind her, "Midsector Mall. Highlight: Black market trade and a decent bar with enough alcohol to make you forget the world."

"...Wonderful."

"...Do I have to pay for dialing charges?" The girl stared, shifting a book she had in her arms.

"...Uh... no," Ryu looked at her, "Thanks for answering, though."

"Anytime..." She slowly scooted away, then turned and hurried back off to her own storefront that was down an alleyway. She shook her head the entire time, constantly wondering: "What did you get yourself into THIS time, Momo?"

"Well..." Lin stretched out, "We can go straight from here to Trinity."

"But I still don't WANT to go!"

"Where else WILL we go? Let me inform you, Ranger, that there are several paths through our HQ that WILL lead us up. If we tried going up the normal way we'd all get our throats slit by your previous allies." Lin smirked, staring at Ryu, "There isn't any other way, Ryu. Come on."

"…" Ryu hesitated as the woman started off, watching Cheryl follow her without question. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he followed along as well. The long hall with rows upon rows of seedy stores was a grimy, dull white mixed with worn metal. The ground's pavement was slightly damp, as was the air, providing a bit of relief on everyone's lungs. Dull voices would echo off the walls, turning into muddy noise that refused to silence itself. With the hum of electric lights, and the sound of people bartering over their illegal stock, the area seemed to be one depressing melting pot for all levels of the Shelter.

"So… everyone here-"

"Is either selling or buying." Lin paused, looking down the alleyway the girl had disappeared to, "Rangers usually don't come this way, or if they do, they never close it all down because even they can make a little zenny working the market. Government rations aren't enough for those who come here; some come to live on the edge and bring excitement to their already lived lives. Perfect place to set up base, eh?"

"But right out in the open?" Cheryl looked up, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"Nah, it's in the Old Tradesector. Well, past that, actually. You'll see; they abandoned the other half of this place because it flooded with groundwater. Probably one of the channels the faeries complain about." She started again, passing by shoppers and small storefronts, "It's a bit of a walk, but you can occasionally find stuff left over from the old markets in the corners. Not all of it is half bad, either."

"Great," Ryu grumbled, "I've always wanted to walk through a flooded, probably collapsing mall area."

"Then now is your chance, buddy," Lin snickered, being annoying, "We'll get there ASAP!"

"Hmph." Ryu gazed at the cold faces around him; he wondered if anybody here knew him or the rest of the party. A fair number seemed to know Lin, however, waving at her like a good neighbor as she passed. He found Nina was, predictably, shy, as she was as close to her Ryu as she could be. Just before him, Cheryl was skipping along with more life in her step than any other child he had ever seen in the Shelter. But as he watched, he could almost slow her movement down with his mind, and then vividly he could see her skipping before a field of flame. Coming to a surprised halt, he shook his head and looked again; Cheryl was normal, just bouncing along.

"Come on," Cheryl looked back, a great smile spread across her face, happiness sprouting from her figure. She laughed, "Don't fall behind, we gotta go together!"

"…Coming…" Shaking his head, Ryu felt Nina pat his arm. Glancing down with a bit of a smile, he started walking again, with a little renewed vigor.

Stepping down cold, cement stairs, with her tail whisking through the damp air behind herself, Lin took a break near the bottom to take in a deep breath of the wet air. This area smelled closer to home; the water, mixed with the smell of wet cement, and the light scent of dust swirled together into her senses. She let the other three step ahead of her as she opened her eyes; gazing across the water's surface that hugged the entrance to the lower area, she watched faint ripples spread out and disappear. This was the most relaxing place to come and sit, she thought, and why hurry?

"Are you sure it's safe to go down there?"

"No, but there isn't any other way."

"Right…" Ryu sighed, heading for the broken cement path over the water.

Lin was about to move again when there was a sudden breeze through the air, her tail being pulled aside and a sharp pinch being placed. With a loud yelp, she brought the party to a halt, staring behind herself with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Ryu looked around, almost ready to attack anything that moved.

"I…"

The sound of the water dripping was the only noise; there was nothing but dust in the air before her. Otherwise silence reigned, the scenery standing still. Lin slowly backed up, curling her tail around herself. "…Nothing… Let's go…"

"You scared us," Cheryl whined, as she bounced across the cement platforms, "Don't do that anymore!"

"…Yeah…" She airily spoke, gazing over her shoulder, as she followed.

As the party left down the tunnel, the man at the end of the stairs slowly materialized, laughing to himself. His hair was red, slicked back, giving him a 'cool' appearance. He continued to laugh a bit, lips parting to speak to himself, "Quite a little party those dragons have got, eh? What a piece of work…"

He then looked at the tunnel, still able to detect strong insecurity.

"Ah well. Besides, what a cute ass!"

"Nice place…"

"It gets better," Lin smirked, "More freaks like me live down here."

"Mmm, just what I dreamed of."

"Don't be mean!" Cheryl frowned, then looked back across the large room. The mall gates had been closed, but somebody had gone through and knocked huge holes into them, providing a maze. "Wow… this place looks confusing…"

"Just how we wanted it to look. This way." Lin ducked through a hole and walked across a trashed room. The racks that were once full of merchandise still stood in silent, dusty rows, a few unsold items about their shelves. Bits of glass were on the floor here and there, prompting Nina to start stepping more lightly across the cement floors. The air here was so humid it made the team's skin feel damp, but still the air was more soothing than the usual dust-ridden supply. Heading up a small staircase behind the rotting desk, Lin made sure everyone was following before squeezing out another hole. "Most people get lost unless they have someone to tell them where to go; occasionally you may find a skeleton or two since we never go looking for the lost ones! Heh!"

"Wonderful. Show no compassion."

"Why should we? Trinity isn't known for holding hands and singing campfire songs, stupid. Nah, we're your local terrorists that threaten your way of life and suck your freedom with fear! Plus we spray paint on your walls and cause property damage."

"Gee, now I understand why EVERYBODY would want to join." Ryu rolled his eyes, pausing only because he heard a low crack under his feet; kicking a shard of glass away, he picked Nina up over the mess, "Just show me to the signup sheet, boy howdy."

"Can I?" Cheryl looked up with a huge grin.

"Sure!"

"Cheryl, no!" Ryu pulled the girl closer, "Don't get mixed up in that riffraff!"

"Riffraff? Ah, you've toned down from the 'faceless terrorists' remarks."

"I could call you worse things..."

"You wouldn't not in front of the little ones," Lin laughed, walking down a rather trashed hall and heading down a flight of steps, "I know you better than that."

"..." Ryu sighed, then followed in silence. It was true; she did know him better. How did he wind up this far with her anyway?

"How much farther?" Cheryl leapt over a small puddle in a hall as they walked, but landed in a bigger one, up to her chest. She slowly pulled herself through it to a door, walking in ahead of everybody, "Wow, it really IS wet..."

Lin came through without a hitch, trudging through the water as if it was, well, water. Ryu picked Nina up, and with a sigh, headed through the puddle, unable to keep Nina's feet from dragging across the surface. She didn't mind, but actually enjoyed it, and splashed a bit off her toes as they passed through.

Down the narrow hall, several symbols had been crudely splashed up on the walls. The symbols were simple; a blue triangle was overlapped by a white cross, looking somehow sinister on the wall. Lin just passed it up, but Ryu's gaze lingered upon it as he passed. That was the Trinity symbol, the 'property damage' Lin had mentioned before.

"It's the halfway point," Lin explained, "Means you've gone the right way... so far."

"Oh... I see..."

"Just a little further until we get there. When we do, I'll hook you up," Lin looked at Cheryl with a wink, "With the sign-up sheet."

"Yay! I can be in Trinity just like Lin!" Cheryl spread her arms up in excitement, skipping about down the hall.

"...whatever."


	15. A Terrorist's Niche

The Darkened Sanctum

_XIII: "A Terrorist's Niche…"_

"Here we are…. The Trinity Pit."

Ryu gazed about the mildly damp halls; it was just another section of the sunken Tradesector, but the groundwater hadn't affected this area as much. The gates that once protected the stores were busted in to act as doors. Grungy faces were passing by, glancing with cold eyes at the party. Slowly walking in behind Lin, he felt a bit uneasy; he didn't notice as Nina lost contact with his hand.

Cheryl was also on the edge, slowly taking a position behind Lin. She just simply felt nervous, even if she couldn't find a reason. She slowed down further when she noticed, glancing over her shoulder, that Nina was slowly coming to a halt.

Nina's mind was fogging up, her vision becoming a blur. Her lungs fought to draw in air, but the dust across her filters prevented this. Her muscles started to shut down, making her move slower and slower. Finally, just as she feared she would die, her body went limp and she collapsed onto her face, lying across the grimy floors.

"Ryu!" Cheryl instantly caught him, bringing him to a halt, "N-Nina!"

"NINA!" He threw himself down beside her, unsure of what to do. Panic filled his mind as his heart raced; all he could see was Nina lying there, not breathing, and could not get his body to move.

"SOMEBODY GET US SOME HELP!" Lin screamed down the hall, then quickly moved back to the girl as several other members came running.

"There… that should do it…"

Lin moved herself out from the 'temporary room', which was a very fine mesh net suspended over the white bed Nina lied upon. Several machines had been hooked up to the girl; one monitored heart rate, while another one kept track of her breathing. Nina also had a plastic tube down her nose to provide her with air, a welcome blessing to her weak lungs. An IV drip was attached to her arm, while another tube in the opposite arm was meant to directly deliver medication. Still, despite all the care, Nina's chest rose and fell as if she had been running for a good distance. Pulling the plastic gloves off, Lin looked at the two beside her; Cheryl staring, unsure of what to do, and Ryu… staring blankly as if he was no longer there.

"…She'll be okay here, Ryu." Lin tried to look cheerful, but got no response from Ryu, "She's not asleep yet… she can hear you if you say something, you know."

"…" Ryu stared in at Nina, ignoring the mesh entirely. There was a faint threat of tears in his eyes, and when he opened his mouth to speak his voice seemed to be distant; "Nina… I'm so sorry…"

Nina stared ahead at him, her face reddened by a low fever, her cheeks slightly swollen from hitting the floor. Her eyes watered miserably, so she could barely see his face. But slowly, a sweet grin spread across her face. She smiled as if it were the last smile she would ever wear; the expression was empty and hopeless, however, since the look in her eyes was distant and full of sorrow.

"…Don't…" He emotionally winced, "Nina, you can't… leave us…"

She slid her eyes closed, letting out a sigh. The smile faded a bit, as she silently drifted off into well-deserved sleep, which was much easier on her tired body.

"…Nina…" He sighed, gaze falling to the floor.

"She needs the rest, Ryu." Lin rested a hand on his shoulder momentarily, trying again to look cheerful, "You look like you need to take a walk. Nobody here will bother you when you look like this…"

"…" Cheryl looked up at Ryu, "I'll stay here and watch her for you."

"…Thank you, Cheryl. I think… I think I'll take a walk…" He turned away from the bed, heading across the room, "Clear my mind…."

"…Will he be okay?" Cheryl looked to Lin after he left, looking worried.

"…I don't know… Come on, we'll get to know each other a little better, eh?" Lin moved around behind the bed, still able to see Nina clearly, then rested against the wall. Cheryl followed suit, causing a bit of a sincere grin to appear on Lin's face, "So you really want to join Trinity, huh?"

As he started down the cold, metal halls, his body reminded him that it was very late; Trinity members looked ready to go to bed, as well. The hum of the electric lights could be heard everywhere, as well as the low, rumor-filled whispers that were emitted by the locals. Mulling over the noise and his own emotions, Ryu wondered if it was possible to simply walk away from himself for awhile. But after twisting around through the 'pit', he found it impossible. Taking a door he hadn't before, he found himself in a council room, Trinity members instantly stopping their talking to stare at him.

"…Don't mind me…" He let out a sigh, eyes fixed on the floor.

"We can't continue our meeting with a Ranger about, stupid," One of the women looked back, frowning a bit, "Go pout somewhere else."

"…" Looking up, he noticed a doorway leading into an office; ignoring the people, he wandered to it, staring in the open doorway. A blonde man behind the desk was busily writing something down, not at all noticing Ryu. Ryu knew that face, and made a bit of noise to grab attention.

"Hm?" The man looked up, "Ah, you're the visitor. Come in, come in…"

Ryu silently stepped in, staring at the man's face.

"Well," The man stood up, walking around in front of the desk, "I probably don't need to introduce myself to you…"

"You're Mebeth… leader of Trinity…" Ryu closed his eyes with a sigh, "…A wanted man."

"Ah, but aren't you as well?"

A deeper sigh floated across the room.

"I'm sorry… I don't mean to insult you." Mebeth smiled a bit, "Rather, to thank you. It was because of your efforts we are able to have Nina safe here."

"But she can't stay here… I promised I would take her to the Sky…"

"How do you know such a thing exists…?"

"…I don't."

"Would you be willing to risk her health to find out?"

"…?" Ryu looked up, a bit lost.

"When you make her walk through this polluted underground, you are essentially making her walk upon shards of glass. It must pain her to wander through the heavy dust; if she had collapsed in a remote tunnel, what would you have done?"

"I… I don't know… I…" Ryu swallowed hard, "Can we heal her…?"

"…While we can keep her stable with treatment, we can never fully heal her, no." Mebeth sighed, moving to the side of his desk, staring up at the cement wall, looking at the Trinity symbol painted there. "But… even then… it is up to her if she wishes to stay alive or not. We have no control on her soul."

"Then if I asked her… and if she indicated she wanted to…?"

"Then I suppose it is your own risk. She's just very close to the edge, Ryu."

"…How… did…?"

"Hm." He smiled, "Lin has mentioned you. You seem to scare her quite a bit; did you know that? Very little things shake her. We were actually expecting you for a time, which is why we already had the equipment set up."

"You've been spying on us…?"

"You'll have to talk to Lin about that. All I did was answer her calls." Mebeth looked over his shoulder, "You look terrible right now. I suggest you find something to get your mind off dark thoughts if only to spare your sanity, or even a short nap. Feel free to stay here as long as you want; you may be a Ranger, but I know you are not my enemy."

"…Thank you." Ryu turned, and then headed back out, eyes fixed on the ground once more, "…I… thank you…"

Mebeth nodded and watched as he left. Looking back up at the wall, he mulled over the short conversation in his mind; at least on the outside nobody could've told you Ryu was linked, not at all. But still, he remembered the words of advice given to him… and sighed deeply.

"You're back!" Cheryl ran over to Ryu as he entered the room. She smiled up at him, noting he still looked sad, "Nina is okay- she's still asleep, though. You look like you need a hug… do you want one?"

"Uhm… sure?" He held his arms open and was instantly clung to, receiving the biggest hug he had ever gotten in his life. It was almost enough to knock him over, and he tried his best to hug with the same effort back, "Thanks… that does feel a little better."

"Good!" She let him go and hurried back to Lin, "Lin says I can't join Trinity until I turn sixteen. Tell her to let me join NOW!"

"Huh?"

"Hey," Lin smirked, "It's a favor for you. It should give you some time to convince her out of becoming a member. Now, I think getting some sleep is the best option now. We all can use the rest… even me, amazingly."

"Yeah… are there beds?"

"Course there are beds- we're not THAT inhumane," Lin scoffed, heading across the room to the exit. She flicked off the lights, waiting until the two were following, "We'll have room for you guys, promise. Even if the beds are taken, we have rollaways stashed here and there. Come on."

The beds were only beds by definition, the slight padding on them not entirely separating the sleeper from the metal platform they lied on. The pillows had been used to the extremes, only cloth sacks that were as hard as rocks. Sitting upon his bed, Ryu let out a sigh, somewhat uneasy that he couldn't see Nina's room from this area. Cheryl, on the bed above him, was hanging upside down, with the end of her long shirt secured under the back of her legs. Her hair hung down, as well as her arms, and she looked rather bored. Looking up at her, he had to ask: "What are you doing?"

"I don't know. It feels comfortable."

"If you're not careful, you'll fall," Lin teasingly warned, "The floor is pretty solid cement, too. Your head would crack before it would."

"No…" She whined, wrapping her arms around her head, "I don't want to crack my head!"

"Then get into bed, you noodle!" Lin walked over and shoved Cheryl back onto the bunk, "Now try and sleep, wriggle worm."

"No…" She whined. "I'm not a wriggle worm."

"At least PRETEND to sleep so Ryu can get some shut-eye." The woman moved to her own bed that actually had a nametag above it; the wall had several magazine pictures taped upon it. Most had those signature tails and ears, but a few regular humans were scattered here and there. It was if she had been trying to construct a tapestry.

"Lin, why do you have all the pictures up there?"

"Hm?" She looked over her shoulder at the wall, "Oh, just because. There used to be… a picture of my mother and father, but I covered it all up. I forget how many layers there are over it."

"Why'd you do that?" Ryu eyed the pictures, "I would have given anything to know my family…"

"I don't know. They just aren't that important to me, I guess. I don't know where they live anymore or if they're even alive, but… really, I don't care." Her voice sounded a bit distant, suggesting her words weren't fully sincere, "They wouldn't miss me anyhow. They never liked me all that much… I was too much of a free spirit for them."

"…" Staring in silence, he felt just a small amount of pity for her.

"Heh."

"Hmm?"

"I just remembered that the last time I did see them they didn't notice me. They were looking all over for me, too, but they gave up after about a week. Wonder what Mom would say were she to see what I do for a living…"

Cheryl suddenly hopped off the bed, causing both of her companions to look at her. She turned to Lin, and said, "I want to walk around before I go to sleep."

"Okay, just don't mess with our stuff. Ol' Bethy," She was, of course, referring to Mebeth, "…gets pretty upset when things are out of order. However, that means he's always upset since there IS no order. Heh."

"Okay, I won't touch anything." Cheryl headed for the door, crawling through the hole. The soul inside of her was telling her something was amiss, as if it was hanging in the air. It told her to get up and move around, gnawing at her mind until she did. She slowly walked into the room with Nina's bed, and then found the sensation to ease. Experimentally, she stepped back out of the room and the sensation rebounded. Figuring it couldn't hurt, she spent some time walking about Nina's room, occasionally glancing at the sleeping girl. There was still a notion that something was wrong, but perhaps not with Nina herself; she was asleep, as before, and the monitors beside the bed seemed to display the same things that they did before. Something, though, just something…

A few minutes later, just as Ryu set his head down, a loud scream pierced the air. Instantly upright, he recognized that shrill voice; "Cheryl!"

Lin threw herself from her bed, whipping out her gun; with Ryu right beside her, both ran like the wind out of the room and across the hall. Objects crashed to the floor, audible through the walls, mingled with voices in Nina's room. Both burst their way in, coming across an anger-inspiring scene.

Cheryl was backing up to a wall, with Nina held in her arms; Nina herself was awake now, looking scared as all get-out. Two Trinity members with broadswords were closing in on them, knocking things over as they did. They all flinched when a shot hit the cement wall near the two girls, causing Cheryl to pull Nina closer in defense.

"What in the HELL are you doing?" Lin shouted across the room, "Explain your actions- NOW!"

"We must take her before you do, traitor," One of the men hissed at Lin.

"This child is proof of the government's dark deeds!"

"You're insane!" Lin reloaded, keeping her eyes fixed on the two, "Move away from those girls or I'll be forced to defend them!"  
"Not on your life!"

A blade came swinging through the air at Cheryl; she dodged under it and leapt up and onto the bed, Nina in her arms; the blade as it came down managed to graze Cheryl's already-wounded hand. Hitting the floor, rolling some distance away, both of the girls were scattered across the floor before Lin and Ryu. The two adults immediately stood before the girls, weapons at the ready as the men came charging.

Ryu's blade sung through the air as he brought it up and down across one man, delivering a strong blow, but not enough to fell the man; being hit himself, he stumbled back a bit but delivered another sharp slice. His actions made the new gash across the side of his stomach ooze blood, but he had to ignore it entirely if he was to finish this man off.

Two more Trinity members burst in the back door, one with a gun and another with a blade. Cheryl yelped and gathered Nina up as the two came after them; Ryu realized this, and quickly finished off his foe. But before he could turn around to face the new fighters, a gunshot split the air and a spurt of blood shot off from Ryu's shoulder. Within an instant his eyes had flooded red, and it was only a mere moment before he had burst into flame, uncontrollably, and had changed forms.

"What in the HELL?" The woman with the gun started backing away, leaving the man with the sword in the front, "What kind of FREAK is that?"

Lin dodged out of the way of a slice from a broadsword, hopping backwards on one foot, but she managed to laugh: "Don't call him a freak, you'll regret you did…!"

With that as the ignition, Ryu shot forward and caught the woman up around the neck; squeezing tightly, he easily crushed her airway, and then tossed her aside. With a snort of extremely hot air, he felt a blade hit him across the scales, though the attack had no effect. With a single downward swipe of his claws, he pinned the man to the floor and literally embedded the attacker's face into the cement. With a huff of annoyance, he suddenly looked down the hall as more soldiers woke up, all with weapons; moving backwards, he quickly scooped up the frightened Nina in one arm, Cheryl in the other, and then placed them in a corner. Picking up Lin, he also put the surprised woman in the corner, but before the girls indicating she should protect them.

We aren't victims, child… 

Cheryl watched Ryu take off, but it was almost as if time had been slowed; it seemed to take forever for him just to turn around, his movement extremely delayed. The voice pounded through her mind, as her bleeding hand began to twitch.

We can take a stand; we shall take a stand… 

Yelping, she squeezed away from Lin, holding her arm tightly. Before anybody could react, Cheryl was covered in blood that suddenly ran out of every pore on her body. With a scream, the blood boiled away as an intense heat roared to the surface of her skin. Whipping herself upright, with a spray of blood coming out of her now-white hair, Cheryl had changed dramatically.

Don't let them win, child- now fight in my name! 

Her eyes had changed to the slit-pupil, golden, red-flecked eyes that belonged to the great dragoness; her body was covered in bright metallic scales that reflected the dull colors around her. Her hair drifted down across her back like the dragoness's mane. Flashing past as a mere streak of silver, she elbowed Ryu hard enough to hit him against the wall, then continued to the hallway. It seemed Vyzhit's soul would refuse to be one-upped; bringing up an absurd amount of power, Cheryl let loose a burst of energy that stung the eyes of her companions who were still in the other room. Knocked back by the force, Cheryl had hit her head and gone out, her scales slowly dissolving into blood and spreading away from her. She looked normal again, though covered in blood, slumped against the metal wall, which had a great dent within it from the impact. The hall was charred black, the walls cooling as a minute before they were dripping molten metal. The front gate had been entirely blasted open, letting a bit of a damp breeze drift in.

Prying his head out of the wall, Ryu burst into flames and was normal again; holding his pounding head, he tried to smother the odd feelings of hate for that girl. "Somebody… go check on Cheryl…"

"…holy shit motha fucka." The words slipped out of Lin's mouth before she stumbled upright and went quickly to the hall to tend Cheryl.

"…" Nina, though trembling from the experience, still with that severed tube running down her nose, shakily rose, then walked over to Ryu. Sitting down beside him, she latched on into a big hug, as if saying 'thank you'.

"….you're welcome."


	16. And Yet We Walk

1The Darkened Sanctum

_XV: "And Yet We Walk..."_

Warm blood rolled off the gleaming point, dripping heavily onto the floor.

_Do you see, Mother?_

When the drop connected with the solidifying surface, it spread up a little plume of crimson and then evened back out on the floor.

_How unlucky I am!_

Her arm was drenched in blood, drying into brown, flaky patterns across her skin. She breathed deeply, trembling, unsure of what she had done.

_All day I sit indoors..._

The paling body of the noblewoman lied across the stained floor, white dress stained crimson over her right breast. Beside her lay her spouse, both silenced forever, the dripping echoing over them.

_I am never allowed outside!_

Warm blood rolled off her forehead, her limbs, down across her back, dripping into a bloody mass on the damp cement floors.

_I'm not allowed to open the door..._

Every inch of her skin was on fire, the pain she felt equaling what she had delivered upon the two beautifully molded adults that still lied on the floor of her memory.

_So I cannot see the sun..._

"Cheryl," Lin came through the hallway door and let out a loud gasp, staring down at the girl who was entirely glistening with thick blood. It rolled endlessly from her skin, though no wounds visible. "Oh my GOD- We'll get you cleaned up, hang in there, sweetie!"

With all due speed, Lin shot off in the direction she had come, foot sliding slightly in the pool of blood. She ran past Ryu and Nina, straight to the bed; ripping off the sheets and knocking the curtain down, she turned tail once more. Through the door, she threw the sheet on Cheryl, then collapsed to her knees beside the girl and began to rub the white sheet over her. It became a deep red almost instantly. Using the only clean corner, Lin wiped off the girl's face, then pulled away the sheet.

Dry smears were visible all over her exposed skin; her skin under her plastic frock and undergarments were still fresh and red, but the blood seemed to have stop. Carefully removing the heavy, damp sheet, Lin spoke with deep concern: "Are you okay?"

"No... I..." Cheryl winced. Something had moved inside of her, shifting in the limited space it had. It pressed hard against her rib cage and made her stomach ache violently, and caused her heart to beat a mile a minute. She could feel it move under her skin before it finally came to a rest, pressing heavily against her insides, "There's... something..."

"Don't... don't talk..." Lin picked Cheryl out of the thin, drying pool, "Just rest... we'll take care of everything, okay?"

Cheryl lied limply in Lin's arms as the woman headed through the doorway back into the trashed room, gazing over Ryu and Nina. Though he wasn't bleeding, Ryu looked to Lin as if he felt just as good as Cheryl did, and all she could do was to let out a sigh. Nina, sitting beside Ryu, was tugging a bit at that tube down her nose, but decided not to mess with it as she feared she could hurt herself with it.

"Lin... could you take that out for her?"

"...You'll have to take Cheryl for me..."

"Yeah..." Ryu shakily rose, then walked over, taking Cheryl from Lin. He watched as she walked to Nina, but looked away as she began removing that tube which couldn't have been a pleasant experience for the little one. That's when he noticed footsteps coming down the hall. "Not another..."

Mebeth stopped before the bloody sheet and pool, staring with an expressionless face. He shook his head, then stepped into the room, facing Ryu. He nodded. "Good evening."

"Why...?" Ryu stared, hard, his eyes tinting...

"Hm?"

"Why did you hurt them?"

"..." Mebeth looked to Lin who had stood up. She had Nina's hand in her own, and was staring with the same expression that Ryu had on. Letting out a sigh, he looked back at Ryu, "Because we could have used your service."

"You..." Lin's eyes narrowed, "You were going to use Nina... to make him join..."

"Yes... but..." He folded his arms around behind his back, "I didn't intend it to happen this way. My orders were taken out of proportion, as usual. I don't want to hurt any of you... but there are those above you who wish for your journey to end."

Everyone kept an eye on the man as he walked to the middle of the room. He gazed upon the scattered machinery and crooked bed, staring at the patterns the bent-over mesh made upon itself. "I know you'll never forgive me, none of you... I apologize to you, especially, Lin."

"Nina, Cheryl, and Ryu deserve your pity, not me!"

"You won't understand when you're upset. You don't understand much when you are; your ears go deaf and your eyes become blind. You know that, don't you? The same thing happens when you are depressed... but it takes a lot to get you that far. Mmm..." He sighed, "I suppose I'm rambling. Now, Ryu... do you truly wish to reach the Sky?"

"...Yes..." Ryu sighed, glancing down at Nina for a moment, before returning his gaze to Mebeth. "I think we all do..."

"Then I have something you will need." Walking to Ryu, Mebeth pulled an odd, glass object. It had a deeply carved impression, the pattern colored orange. The glass piece was topped with a black, metal handle, a metal loop threaded through a hole. He held it out to the young man, the orange patterns almost seeming to glow in the dark, "This... is a key. It will open the way to the seal, but you need the other keys to go with it. Every regent you will encounter further up will have a key. I cannot imagine them giving them to you, though..."

"..." Ryu took it, "Why... do you...?"

"Heh." Mebeth started off through the doorway, "An old ally gave it to me. He figured nobody would ever look for such a thing in Trinity. Now that you've wiped out half of the organization, I fear it will just become a loose band of fallouts again. Oh well. It'll give me something to do. Lin, though you are still angry with me, you should show him the pathway up. You... are free to go if you want, I'll understand."

"..." She stared, silent, still glaring.

"As I assumed."

Ryu sighed a bit. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome. I can't wait for the moment I hear all of you reach the Sky..." He smiled faintly, looking over his shoulder, "Not everyone is against you in this world. Just keep that in mind and you can do anything you set your mind to. Take care of those two…"

"We will." Ryu waited until Mebeth had left, the sounds of his steps faded from his hearing. Looking at Lin, who still looked rather ticked, he asked, "Lin? When you're ready..."

"Yeah, yeah... this way."

Past the bunk room she led them, through a Gigantis/Genic containment room to a ladder heading up. She climbed up first and listened close to the plate covering the hole, as if she thought someone would be there.

"Lin?"

"I thought I heard someone walk past up there."

"..." Everyone was deathly silent.

"...Maybe not. I could've sworn..." She pushed the lid off, which matched the concrete floor above. "This leads through Lifeline to the TopSector Borough."

"Topsector!" Cheryl suddenly became animated, "I can't go through there!"

"Why not?"

"B-because I can't! They'll arrest me!"

Lin and Ryu looked at each other for a moment.

"I don't think they will, honestly." Ryu shifted her a bit. He also made a point of making sure he was holding Nina's hand in case somebody became jealous, "But if anyone's arrested, it'll probably be me, first."

"Followed by me," Lin smirked, climbing up and turning around. She reached down and took Cheryl when she was handed up. Pulling the girl up, she stood her on the cement floor beside her, then reached down again, "Then maybe you, but they've got two adults to go through first."

"If we all get arrested, Nina will be lonely..." Cheryl rubbed the side of her head lightly, watching Lin pull Nina up. Nina nodded several times in response when she was placed beside Cheryl.

"I bet she would, so let's avoid being arrested," Ryu let out a half-laugh, climbing up. He slid the cover back on for Lin which so perfectly matched the floor nobody could've known it was there if they hadn't been shown.

The Lifeline was a grungy, rusted area; every inch of metal seemed to be coated red-orange, but none of the massive pipes running through seemed weak. The sound of water rushing through the huge pipes echoed across the cement walls. This fed (relatively) clean water to the lower levels, but nobody could be entirely sure where the pipes ended or began. In effect, it was cool, as it was very cold spring water running through those pipes.

"We're in the mid-point," Lin explained as she started walking, Cheryl following beside her. Ryu followed, and Nina took position beside him. "We saved a ton of walking distance, you know, going through there. Now who was it who didn't want to-"

"Lin..."

"Heh. Well, whence we get to the TopSector, I suppose we head through... PowerOne. Yeah. There's actually three 'Powers', you know, one in the Midsector."

"...I actually didn't know that."

"Boring place. It barely works, too." Walking down the extremely long corridor, almost snuggled up against the huge, cool pipe, it seemed Lin was back in her usual, perky mood. "But hey, who cares? Not like people with low numbers need electricity, no-pe."

"...Then... above the TopSector Boroughs... is the Centre..."

"Where all the Regents live. I bet they'll wave us in and drink punch with us. Balloons and presents, not to mention cake and those cool little drink umbrellas-"

"Really?" Cheryl's eyes had a glimmer of excitement in them.

"That's called sarcasm, wriggle worm," Lin rubbed the girl's head, mussing up her hair, "As long as you have it, you can laugh at this pathetic game called Life."

"Oh... I see!"

Lin and Ryu had to laugh at this as they continued through the door into a grungy room. Nina just shook her head, however, as they did, sighing. It was still a struggle for her to draw in air, though, and her poor heart worked as hard as it could to keep her upright. But she knew Ryu would make sure she'd see the Sky, whatever it was, before she'd collapse.

The rest of the trip through Lifeline was the same over and over again; long halls with cold pipes, the sound of water rushing through them. When they got to the upper areas, it seemed to be mostly the control rooms for the pressure and such. By this time, though, they were laughing again over odd things Cheryl would spit out; heading out the last door, the laughter echoed around the dusty cavern, until everyone heard someone else laugh.

It was a 'hah', a single laugh that seemed to boom across the room. All four came to a halt on the metal grating that stood above the bare earth, leading to a larger metal platform. At the end of this platform was an open pit, leading to the depths below. Standing on the platform, back facing them, he had his blade rested across his shoulder, barely touching his blonde hair.

"...Howdy... partner!"

"Bosch!" Ryu was slightly surprised, but was suddenly disgusted as Bosch turned.

His single blue eye connecting with Ryu's, Bosch had a sick smile on his face. His left side of his face was entirely black with orange, glowing veins running up and down his skin. His eye, wide open, was a glowing, dead yellow. But more disgustingly, his left arm was so thin the tendons on the bones stuck out very visibly and would move under the tight skin when his muscles merely twitched. The hand of that arm was more like a claw, the fingers abnormally long with glowing red, sharply pointed tips. How much farther the pattern continued down his body was unknown, but it seemed something at ripped off the left sleeve of his jacket violently as strings and fabric loosely hung off it in tufts. The hand twitched of it's own accord when he faced them, his voice loosely connected: "I have this partner with a low number... he thinks he's hot stuff..."

The entire party stared, unsure of what to make of this specter. Ryu, however, looked extremely close to losing his lunch right then and there.

"Him... he will die..." The hand curled tightly, then released itself, "Let me show you how!"

The hand seemingly came flying as the party dodged aside; it latched tightly around Ryu's face, who was struggling to get it loose. It seemed to have the force of an alligator's bite, almost enough to crush his cheekbones; with a backward sweep, Bosch tossed Ryu halfway across the platform, and then readied his blade.

"Ryu!" Lin shouted to him, since he was lying across the floor, not moving, "Ryu, are you okay?"

"...Ungh..." He slowly stumbled up, just in time to see Bosch come running. Whipping out Zeno's blade, he moved to block the attack. Just as he reached Ryu, Bosch's D-form arm grabbed the blade without injuring itself, wrangled it out of Ryu's arms, and then tossed it aside. At the same time, he was able to thrust his blade, held in his normal hand, straight through Ryu's stomach- when he bent forward, the dragon arm slapped him hard, forcing him off the blade and back to the ground.

Nina almost let out a scream as she came running, despite Lin's protest; swinging her staff up, she brought down a bolt of lighting on Bosch- angry at having his initial fight interrupted, he came charging at the little one who didn't have time to move. He caught her up and simply tossed her at Cheryl, then refocused on Ryu. He lurched forward a bit as a bullet hit his shoulder; looking back, he was about to charge for Lin when Ryu shouted: "Don't attack him! Let him focus on me!"

"Kitty kitty…" He was about to charge after her when Ryu brought his blade down across his back, finally getting his one-tracked brain back onto his original fight plan, he turned to face Ryu and thrust his sword forward, missing. Ryu responded by rolling past his own sword and picking it back up, avoiding a rake of that hand as well. Back on his feet, he swung in an effort to sever that sickly arm, but missed, only grazing Bosch's side. Blades sung and the arm swept across the air in a tedious fight, but neither made much progress. After a time, however, Bosch was facing everyone, back to the open pit.

"I'll gut them like a fish… gut him like a fish…" The arm violently twitched, swinging back behind Bosch; he started moving backward as if it was pulling him. "They'll all die!"

"Bosch!" Ryu watched, as he grew closer, faster, to the edge; realizing he wasn't about to stop, he suddenly shot forward, dropping his blade. Reaching his arm out, he saw Bosch tip backward over the edge- pushing himself as fast as he could go, Ryu barely came to a halt before the edge, only able to watch Bosch fall in vain. He watched until his former comrade was swallowed by the dark, and then winced when a loud 'thud' echoed from below.

Slowly standing upright, staring down, he could barely keep himself from shaking.

Nina peeled herself from the sore Cheryl's arms (who was trying to keep her held so she wouldn't try and fight again) then ran to Ryu's side. Coming to a quick stop, she looked over the edge, and then shuddered a bit. Leaning back, she looked up at Ryu's empty expression and frowned a bit.

Lin came up, slowly, Cheryl following behind her. She stopped behind Ryu, letting out a faint sigh. Slowly moving her arm up to his shoulder, she gave a sympathetic look when he glanced at her, then let her arm fall.

"…That's always the worst, when you are close enough to hear the sound they make when they finally fall."

"…W…what?" Ryu barely spoke, looking back.

"When Madame and Sir fell… that was the worst sound I had ever heard."

"…" He looked back at the pit for a moment, and then let out a painful sigh. "…Let's… let's go…"

All four silently started off, Nina coming last, only pausing to gaze back at the pit a final time. As she left, she had no idea that below them, a heart still beat slowly.

**_Can it… can it hate?_**

Bosch was lying across the cement floor, which had cracked under him, his left leg, right foot, and right arm all on backwards. Blood seeped out around him, his skin becoming cold as it left. Still staring up with his single blue eye and the lidless, yellow one, he could still see Ryu reaching out to him. Closing his eyes, he tried to rid his vision of the sight.

**_It can hate…?_**

****He let out a sigh; the angry, gnawing emotion filled his mind.

**_Good. I'll choose you._**

Bosch suddenly jerked as his D-linked arm swung over and imbedded its claws into his throat, instantly slaying the young man as it went straight through his windpipe and vertebrae.


End file.
